Originally a convent established after the Famine, Calasanctius College has provided education for local children since the 19th century.
In 1861, the Presentation Sisters established a convent in Oranmore with the funding of Councillor John Blake, as two of his sisters were nuns in the Order. Their first convent was known as ‘the Hotel’ while another building was being converted into a college.
By the summer of 1869, they had bought the Parochial House from the parish priest, Fr R Quinn, and moved in. It wasn’t until 1886 that the building of the old National College began, and three years later the new convent was connected to the Parochial House. By 1916, a hall was built on the convent ground for home economics classes for the local girls.
Because it was an all-girls school, there were no facilities for subjects that were deemed “too masculine“, such as woodwork. In 1946, the school was blessed by Rev Michael Browne and christened Calasanctius College, as it was blessed on the feast day of St Joseph Calasanctius.
In 1947, a Boarding College was opened for the girls. By 1963, Mother Columba Heaney approved a huge extension to be built onto the school due to rapidly increasing demand for places. In 1973, the school enrolled boys for the first time. A new wing was constructed, and it finally incorporated a woodwork room. In 1987, the decision was made to cease catering for boarders, and so all dormitories and refectories were converted into classrooms and laboratories.
In 1994, the Presentation Sisters withdrew from the teaching staff. Their convent was vacated and a new principal was appointed. They trusteeship of the school was transferred to CEIST (Catholic Education, an Irish Schools Trust ) in 2008.
In 2001, the Department of Education and Science sanctioned new “state-of-the-art” buildings which included a sports hall, a library, four science labs, an oratory, two home economics rooms, an art room, a language laboratory, a computer room, more woodwork and construction rooms, several social studies rooms, several technical graphics rooms, and a music room. This greatly increased the school’s capabilities, and the new rooms were opened by the Minister for Education and Science in 2006.
Recently, Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, confirmed that her Department has granted approval for a major extension at Calasanctius College to advance to the planning stage.
The proposed development will provide four additional mainstream classrooms alongside 12 special education teacher rooms. Facilities will also include a multimedia room, art room, two construction studies rooms, an engineering room, a technology preparation area, three project storage rooms, a science laboratory with preparation space, a textiles room, a staff room, and accommodation for six special educational needs classes.
Minister Naughton said she has long been aware of the shortage of secondary school places in Oranmore. She noted that she previously secured funding for a substantial extension to the school and has since maintained regular engagement with both Calasanctius College and the Department of Education to ensure progress on the project.
The school has had to turn away children every year due to demand for places which results in parents having to educate their children outside their own local area. There are well known demographic issues resulting in increased demand for school places in Oranmore and this additional accommodation will ease that burden significantly.
“Not being able to secure a school place is upsetting for families with children in local schools who had a long tradition of attending Calasanctius College over the years. The school has done its utmost to accommodate as many applicants as possible,” explained Minister Naughton.
Minister Naughton also emphasised the need for infrastructure development to keep pace with Oranmore’s rapidly expanding population, noting that the provision of sufficient secondary school places is a key part of supporting sustainable community growth.
