By Dara Calleary TD
The opening of the top class St Mary’s Secondary School campus is a monumental occasion for Ballina and North Mayo. It is very fitting, in this the 300th anniversary since the formal foundation of Ballina, that we have arrived at this day when our town is the envy of the entire country with a school that we can all be proud of – one the most modern in Ireland.
Pictured at the official opening were Minister of State Dara Calleary TD, Sr Martha Hegarty, Minister Norma Foley TD, Sr Margaret McHale, Sr Eva Gaughan, Bishop of Killala John Fleming. Pictures: John O’Grady
For 172 of those 300 years, the Sisters of Mercy have been here influencing, shaping and guiding Ballina, for some of that time in healthcare, and all of that time in education. I can’t think of a better way to mark 300 years of Ballina than the opening of this amazing campus and the rededication of the spirit of ambition that the six Sisters of Mercy had when they made that journey from Sligo to Ballina 172 years ago. They made that journey to a small site here in Ballina in 1851 to begin the journey of which we have now commenced the next chapter in a 650-student capacity, €22 million centre of excellence.
Over those 172 years, many people have gone through St Mary’s, and many lives have been shaped – indeed many of those lives have gone on to shape other lives, not just here in Mayo but all around the world. The pride being displayed as we open the new campus is a pride in the St Mary’s tradition, experience and education – that ambition is now being reshaped into the present students and those that will come through these doors hopefully for at least the next 172 years.
Members of the Parents’ Association of St Mary’s Secondary School are pictured at the official opening with Minister Dara Calleary TD, Robert O’Reilly, Principal and Minister for Education Norma Foley TD.
Getting to this day has not been easy. From the moment that I was first elected to represent Ballina and Mayo in Dáil Éireann in 2007, the redevelopment of St Mary’s has been at the forefront of my agenda. We have gone through six Ministers for Education in that time and each of the six would all remember St Mary’s Ballina because we (previous boards of management and principals) were a constant in their ear about the need to move the project on. We encountered a whole host of challenges along the way – acquisition of land, issues with access to the land – everything that could go wrong possibly did go wrong!
However, because of amazing people – board of management, parents’ associations, the Bishop and the Diocesan Trust, Mayo County Council but especially the staff at St Mary’s through thick and thin, in very dark days when we thought weren’t getting anywhere, we have got to where we are today. Throughout that time they kept up the standard of teaching and learning, kept up the ambition and ensured that standards never fell.
At the opening of St Mary’s Secondary School were deputy principal Margaret Burke, past principals Patsy Sweeney and Sr Attracta Tighe.
I have to pay particular tribute to former principal Patsy Sweeney. Patsy walked this road with me every step of the way and with a steadfast political will from myself, we were not going to allow any obstacle to stop us from delivering this top class to Ballina. I also have to thank Robert and Margaret and all the current staff who have worked so closely with me since 2020 to ensure that we have reached this historic day.
This is the bar that has now been set for education in North Mayo and we will replicate this here in Ballina and across the county. The new school is not just about education but will become a community hub. In a few weeks, it will play host to the Connacht Fleadh and recently acted as host to the international press corps who were here in Ballina for the visit of President Biden. It has already played host to an amazing musical and Christmas concert and will become a hub that will drive our town to greater things and a greater sense of community. I know that there are other school and community projects to get over the line in Ballina and I assure you, using the spirit of ambition of St Mary’s, we will do just that.
Ballina native Dara Calleary is the current Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation and has been a Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo since 2007.