Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ in the city of Limerick, Ireland, celebrates ninety years of teaching. The anniversary will be marked by a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Brendan Leahyon on Saturday, November 8, followed by a reception in the school’s concert hall, D’Houet Hall.
In words to the Limerick Leader, Deputy Principal Marinella Ní Reachtaire said the anniversary is “a very auspicious occasion,” one that will pay tribute to “90 years of long-serving dedication to the education of girls” in Limerick and beyond. “The Mass will focus on the kind of traditions that have long been upheld by successions of FCJ sisters and teachers in the school.”
The Irish Free State was inaugurated in 1922 and by the 1930s the Irish government had begun to promote education through Irish in all areas outside the Gaeltacht (the Gaelic speaking areas). In 1935 the FCJ sisters, already present at Laurel Hill in Limerick since 1845, accepted the invitation to engage in a significant educational initiative and an ‘A’ school (now called the Coláiste), was opened.
Read more about the history of the FCJ Sisters in Ireland and of Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ.
Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ: History and Evolution (1935- 2009)
