History of the School
History of St. Joseph’s National School, Halverstown
St. Joseph’s National School, Halverstown opened on the 9th November 1959. It was built as a two classroom school with toilet and cloakroom facilities. There was also a water tower and shelter typical of schools of that era built on the site. The land for the school was donated by the O’Neill family of “The Shoulder”, Killinane. A school did not previously exist in the townland of Halverstown. Prior to the building/opening of the school in Halverstown, children in the area would have attended Ballymount and Kilcullen National Schools. Many children in the area had to walk up to six miles a day to school. The then Parish Priest of Kilcullen Fr. Furlong set a plan in motion to have a school opened at the southern end of the parish to cater for these children. He campaigned tirelessly to have the school built off the Carlow Road at Halverstown. He blessed the new school on 8th November 1959 the day before it was officially opened and he named it St. Joseph’s National School.
The first Principal teacher of the school was Miss. Peggy Tuohy (later Keville) a native of Co. Kerry. She moved to Halverstown from her assistant teaching position in Walsh Island, Co. Offaly. The school opened as a one teacher school with approximately 35 pupils on roll. An assistant teacher namely Angela Healy was appointed soon after the school opened. Other assistant teachers who taught at the school laterally included Helen Daly, Nuala Collins and Marian Brennan.
Mrs. Keville gave 36 years of dedicated service to the school and retired as Principal teacher in 1995 and at that stage the school had reverted to being a one teacher school with only eleven children on roll. Mrs. Mary O’Mahony from Scoil Bhride in Kilcullen was appointed as a caretaker Principal to the school for one year with a view to the Department of Education closing the school at the end of that year. However, enrolment figures started to rise again and the school was saved from closure.
St. Joseph’s N.S became a two teacher school again in the September 1999 with the appointment of Noran Spring as assistant teacher who was laterally replaced by Noirín Carlin and then Carmel Brown in 2001. Mrs. Mary O’Mahony served as Principal until 2004 when she moved to a Principalship position in Co. Waterford.
Subsequent Principal teachers in the school include:
Ms. Esther Reddy 2004-2006 (moved to Brannoxtown N.S)
Mrs. Marion Sherlock 2006-2016 (moved to Robertstown N.S)
Mr. Barry Whelan 2016-2018
Mr David Dempsey 2018 - 2022
Mrs. Áine Cullen 2022-present
St. Joseph's National School became a three teacher school for the first time in 2011 with the appointment of Ms. Caroline Southern (now Doyle) as Assistant teacher.
Extensions were added to the school in 2009 comprising of the Junior Room and the Support Room and again in 2014 comprising of two new mainstream classrooms to the front of the school to accommodate the growing numbers. The land for the 2014 extension was very kindly donated by the O’Neill family who had provided the land for the building of the original school in 1959.
A celebration was held across 2019 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the opening of the school. These celebrations included visits from the first ever pupils in the school from 1959, logo competitions and a fun run in conjunction with the Kilcullen700 committee and the always supportive Old Kilcullen Residents Association. We wrapped things up with a reunion of past pupils alongside bouncy castles and icecream vans for the children.