St Molaga's N.S. - A Brief History
The history of St. Molaga's N.S. can be traced back to 1789 when the Rev. William Bruce and Mrs. Bruce, while visiting Balbriggan, recorded the following observation:
"One hundred children are employed, who attend school for a certain time every day, the boys at the expense of Mr. O Brien, the girls at the expense of Mrs. O Brien who examines them once in three weeks or a month and distributes books."
This school was located in a two-storey thatched building at the end of Chapel Street opposite the Harvest Inn.
The school moved to a new building in 1842, on a site beside and behind the existing building. This was the former Catholic Church in Balbriggan but was deconsecrated in 1842 when S.S. Peters and Pauls' Catholic Church on Dublin Street opened.
This former Church building housed two schools- St. Peter's Boys School and St. Mary's Infant School. It may also have housed St. Mary's Girls School for a time. However St. Mary's Girls School was located in rooms in the Loreto Convent, either from its establishment or following a period of time in the old Church building in Chapel Street.
In 1935, all three schools were relocated to a new building further along Chapel Street on the right hand side - the present site of S.S. Peters and Paul's J.N.S. The schools were renamed S.S. Peters and Pauls' Boys National School, S.S. Peters and Pauls' Girls National School and S.S. Peters and Pauls' Infant National School.
In 1971, the boys' and girls' schools amalgamated to form S.S. Peters and Pauls' Senior National School with the Infant school remaining as a separate school.
In the early 1980's, a site for a new school was acquired at Bremore at the north end of Balbriggan. On the 1st of September 1987 the pupils and teachers of S.S. Peters and Pauls' Senior National School in Chapel St. moved to the new building in Bremore to become St. Molaga's N.S.
Our school takes its name from St. Molaga who founded a monastery in Bremore in the 6th century.
Compiled by Mr. Bill O Toole (Principal)
To learn more about St. Molaga follow this link