A SOUTH Dublin national school called after the former archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid has had its name changed at the request of parents and with the approval of the archdiocese.
The Archbishop McQuaid national school in Loughlinstown has been renamed after St Columbanus following a vote of parents and staff.
Many local people only became aware of the name change when they received polling cards prior to the presidential election and referendums on October 27th last.
A school spokeswoman said that, while carol singing at the local Tesco prior to Christmas 2009, “people kept asking why we were collecting money for Archbishop McQuaid”.
The Murphy report on clerical child sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese had been published weeks previously.
Subsequently at meetings of staff, parents and the school’s board of management, it was agreed the name should be changed. A vote on whether it should be “Loughlinstown national school” or “St Columbanus national school”, favoured the latter. A renaming ceremony took place in November of last year.
The name was not formally changed until the beginning of the new school year last September.
Parish priest at Loughlinstown Fr Eddie Griffin, who is on the school’s board of management, said yesterday that when staff and parents at the school expressed a desire to change its name, he said he would not stand in their way.
He was pleased they had chosen St Columbanus as the parish church is also named after the saint.
“It knits school and parish more closely together,” he said.
The name change was approved by the archdiocese once it was satisfied that all relevant consultations had taken place, a spokeswoman said yesterday.
Local resident Kieran Fagan expressed regret at the change as “Archbishop McQuaid had such strong links with the area. He lived here on Military Road and died in Loughlinstown hospital.
“The block there, enclosed by Military Road, Killiney Hill Road and Seafield Road, used to be known locally as ‘the Holy Land’. The Franciscans have a house there and the Holy Child convent school is there. There also used to be a Cenacle Sisters convent there too.”
Road signs at the junction of Loughlinstown Drive and Wyattville Road still point to “Archbishop McQuaid national school”.
