A Short History of St. Joseph's

It all began on Wednesday October 25th 1961 when St. Joseph's Secondary School in Foxford was officially opened. The opening ceremony and blessing was performed by the then Bishop of Achonry, Most Reverend Dr. James Fergus.

Prior to 1960, Foxford had very limited local secondary education facilities. The Sisters of Charity ran a second level school for girls only, catering for a maximum of 60, in a transformed dwelling house on the lower end of Main Street (now the residence of Paddy and Mary Naughton and recognised also as the "Jiffy Cleaners" premises). But for many local girls and all boys who opted for second level education at the time, the only choice was to leave the area. This usually meant boarding schools rather than day schools. It is, therefore, of little wonder that the decision taken in 1960 by the Sisters of Charity to commission the building of a new local secondary school was so warmly welcomed by the people of the town and surrounding areas.

The site chosen for the new school was on Providence Road, the building was designed by architect Mr. Brendan Jeffers and constructed by John Jones Ltd. of Rathmines, Dublin. The construction took one year to complete, at a cost of £45,000 and as there were no grants available at the time, all funds had to be raised by the Sisters of Charity and through local fundraising. The building when complete, consisted of 4 general classrooms, fully equipped science and domestic science rooms, an assembly hall, a Principal's office, staff room, various store rooms and a playground.

The new school could accommodate 120 pupils and it was very unique in one respect - it catered for boys and girls. Co-educational secondary schools were not very common in the West of Ireland, or indeed any part of Ireland, in 1961. The first Principal was Sr. Mary Alphonsus.

The official opening was attended by the Sisters of Charity, The Bishop of Achonry, The Bishop of Killala, Fr. Hannon P.P. Foxford, Fr. Towey C.C. Foxford, Mr. Miko Browne TD., students, teachers and parents. The ceremony commenced with a procession from the convent to the school headed by the pupils and the school banner was carried by 5th year student Mary Roche. A golden key was presented by the architect to Bishop Fergus who then formally opened the front doors. He then blessed the building and placed a crucifix at the end of the corridor. Mass was then celebrated in the Assembly Hall by Fr. Hannon. Bishop Fergus addressed the congregation and expressed his delight that St. Joseph was chosen as patron Saint of the school.

"St. Joseph was the protector of girls and the model of boys - the model of hard work".

And since then there has been much success, expansion and change. The school was immediately successful in increasing the number of local children who opted for second level education. Then with the introduction of "free education" by Donagh O'Malley in the late '60's, this became the norm and St. Joseph's was to outgrow its capacity. Twice since then the school has extended and in the 40 years since it opened around 2,500 pupils have passed through its doors.

Today the school caters for nearly 350 students and has a teaching staff of 27 under the able guidance of the present Principal, Mr. Brendan Forde.

So much for the success and expansion, but what about the change?

Well, sadly the major change from the foundation of St. Joseph's is that the Sisters of Charity are no longer with us. The contribution of the 'nuns' (as we always referred to them) in providing employment and education will always be part and parcel of the history of Foxford. St. Joseph's Secondary School will forever stand as an example of their foresight and exemplary work.

The school is now under the trusteeship of the Bishop of Achonry, Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Flynn.