St. Mary's Secondary school is a Sisters of Mercy Catholic girls
school. The Sisters of Mercy came to Ballina in 1851 and since
then have been active in Education, Social Work, Community Care
and the local hospital.
In 1854 the sisters took charge of the girls National (Junior)
school and two years later set up a Benefit school for Catholic
children in the town. A secondary school was set up in the 1880's.
Unfortunately, very few records of St. Mary's Intermediate school
(as it was then called) exist up to 1911. Even the principals'
names are unknown.
Sister Ann McGoohan is the first named principal of the school.
Sister Anne was principal for over 30 years. The school expanded
slowly over those years and in 1939 a new school was officially
opened. In the 1940's approximately 100 students attended the
school. The school continued to be a private fee paying school
until free education was introduced in 1967.
Free education brought massive changes. 300 students by the late
1960's increased to 400 by the early 1970's and to 500 by the
1980's. At the moment over 700 students attend the school.
The school has been extended many times. An additional building
was built in 1969, an assembly hall (funded by the convent community)
in 1974 and in 1987 a new ultra modern building was officially
opened. Plans to further extend the school are in progress and
should be completed by the end of the present school year.
EXCELLENT FACILITIES
St. Mary's is one of the most modern secondary schools in
the area. It comprises general classrooms, specialist rooms such
as Science Laboratories, Demonstration Rooms, Home Economics Rooms,
Library, Art & Crafts area, Social Studies, History &
Geography Rooms, Music & Drama Room. There is also a large
dining area and general purpose area where the students can relax
during break.
COMPUTER ROOM
The Computer Room is at present being upgraded. New Pentium
computers and multi-media equipment (camcorder, scanner, frame-grabber
and editing software and hardware) have been installed. Our students
in the Leaving Certificate and the Post Leaving Certificate Vocational
Training Programmes now have access to the most modern computer
training equipment available.