St. Lorcan's

St. Lorcan's Boys' National School was formerly known as St. Philomena's School and is listed in the telephone directory as Palmerstown Boys' National School.

Prior to the construction of the present buildings the boys' school was formerly located in the south corridor of the present girls' school from 1959 - 1966. Previous to that there was one co-educational primary school located in Palmerstown Village at the bottom of Kennelsfort Rd, where the Parish Centre is now located. Records now in the National Archives show that a school was in operation there from the 1890s.

With the increase in school going population in the late 1950s it became necessary to form a separate boys'and separate girls' school and a corridor for each school was located in the new building - the present girls' school. This building was formally opened and blessed in 1961.

Numbers increased and it became necessary to erect three double prefabs on the present car park at the girls' school and three senior classes of boys moved back to the old school in the village also. Shortly afterwards, ten new permanent rooms, a staff room, office and staff toilets were erected which allowed the boys to vacate the girls' school, the prefabs and the old school in the village. The Assembly Hall was built with the extension.

Numbers continued to increase in the late 1960s and it became necessary to erect 2 double prefabs (now demolished but located on the present car park) and two senior classes were accommodated in the old village school again until a further six classrooms, and new spacious staff room was completed in 1973. We then had 16 permanent classrooms and 4 classes in prefabs. The Boys' school was never formally opened as it was considered to be merely an extension of the present girls' school.

In December 1999 the then Minister for Education and Science, Mícheál Martin T.D., visited both schools and officially launched I.T.2000.

In November 1998 when President Mary McAleese visited our parish to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the opening of the Church, she was presented with a record of information of our school and a Guard of Honour was formed for her Excellency by the pupils from the senior classes.