Loreto Abbey, Dalkey
Loreto Abbey Dalkey is a Catholic secondary school for girls, under the auspices of the Sisters of Loreto. The school is owned by the Board of Trustees of the Sisters of Loreto. Adjoining is a Loreto Girls National School.
History
Loreto Abbey Dalkey opened as a school in 1843; it also has a member house of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), founded in the 17th century by Mary Ward (1585 - 1645), a pioneer of education for Catholic women, today having establishments on five continents.[1]
The Irish branch of the Institute was founded in 1821 by Frances Teresa Ball (1794 - 1861), a native of Dublin. Her first foundation was at Rathfarnham and was called Loreto Abbey.
When Loreto Abbey Dalkey was founded, Dalkey was a small fishing village, though in earlier times it had been well known as one of the ports for Dublin. Along its rocky seashore lay a commons area which Frances Teresa Ball perceived to be an eminently suitable site for her foundation. While negotiating its purchase, she rented Bulloch Castle, opposite Bulloch Harbour, where she operated a small boarding and day school from 1841 until 1843. In 1842 she succeeded in buying the site at Dalkey.[1] Ball was her own architect and her castellated building of Dalkey granite was opened as a boarding and day school on 17 August 1843. In 1982, the boarding school closed.
Operations
Loreto Abbey Dalkey is a private, fee-paying school. There are about 40 rooms in the school.[1] It has 630 pupils on its rolls today, and has 70 members of staff. The principal of the school is Mr Robert Dunne.
Notable past pupils
- Hilary Frayne Weston - 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2009-12-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
