11.04.2025
St Andrew’s Malahide Celebrate Bright New Outdoor Classroom
A drab and dreary courtyard has been transformed into a bright outdoor classroom at St Andrew’s National School, Malahide, as part of their bicentenary celebrations. The school’s patron, Archbishop Michael Jackson, dedicated the new space following a special Easter service in the parish church this morning (Friday April 11).
St Andrew’s NS marked its 200th anniversary last year and were due to celebrate the milestone in November 2024 but the small matter of a General Election put proceedings on hold as the school is a polling station. This meant that the dedication took place in glorious spring sunshine instead of the cold winter weather.
The Rector, Canon David Gillespie, welcomed pupils, staff and parents to the church along with former Rector and chairperson of the board of management for many years, the Revd Dr Norman Gamble. He thanked the Archbishop for joining them and thanked the Principal Lesley McElhinney for all the work she has done.
The service was led by 5th class and their teacher Miss Gillen. Pupils ably told the Easter story and highlighted the importance of each day of Holy Week. They also informed the congregation of traditions surrounding the celebration of Easter around the world.
Archbishop Jackson commended the pupils on their presentation and spoke of the long history of St Andrew’s NS. He focused on two words: ‘local’ and ‘extension’.
He said there was something uniquely local about Malahide. He pointed to Malahide Castle and the Talbot family whose generosity saw the establishment of both the church and the school. He observed that every area of Dublin was growing in population and that the pupils of St Andrew’s 200 years ago could never have envisaged such numbers attending their school now.
After the service they were going to dedicate the outdoor classroom and the Archbishop said that this extension to their facilities was another sign of growth in new ways of teaching and learning. He added that their local school also encouraged them to extend themselves and stretch and grow in new ways.
Over in the new outdoor classroom Ms McElhinney said that the dull and dreary area had been transformed into a beautiful space for people to enjoy. New furniture will further enhance the area. She thanked parents Nick and Jacqui Turner and Heather Lamont (who was unable to attend) for all their work in creating the outdoor classroom.
