Brief History of Scoil Eoin and the School Crest
Scoil Iosagáin and Scoil Lorcáin were the original boys and girls primary schools built in Kilbarrack-Foxfield in 1967 and 1970 respectively. The two schools amalgamated in 1989, moving to the site of Scoil Lorcáin, and renamed Scoil Eoin which catered for boys and girls from Junior Infants to Sixth Class.
Scoil Iosagáin opened its doors for the first time in 1967 to the boys and girls living in the Parish of Kilbarrack- Foxfield. To cater for the growing number of children in the area and in line with educational thinking at the time a separate boys primary school, Scoil Lorcáin, opened on the 1st September 1971, where Scoil Eoin is today. Scoil Iosagáin became the girls school and Scoil Lorcáin the boys school.
Kilbarrack-Foxfield in the 1970s was a busy and changing place. Its population expanded vastly as a result of urban sprawl in the area. Both schools grew quickly with class sizes reaching more than forty pupils. Mrs O’Brien was the first principal of Scoil Iosagáin and Mr Joyce was the first principal of Scoil Lorcáin. Both principals were highly committed and dedicated to providing the best educational experiences for the hundreds of pupils arriving at their doorsteps.
A long sporting tradition began in the early days of Scoil Lorcáin when Mr Fields formed the football leagues and the first boys GAA Club in the school in 1971. The culture of Gaelic Games was established in the school and the school teams experienced huge successes over many years. GAA became embedded in the community and Naomh Barróg was founded in 1974 in Scoil Lorcáin.
In the late 1980s, the enrolment in both schools began to decline due to demographic change. Scoil Iosagáin and Scoil Lorcáin amalgamated in 1989 and renamed ‘Scoil Eoin’. Eoin being the Irish name for John and hence named after The Parish of St John the Evangelist Kilbarrack-Foxfield. Scoil Iosagáin and Scoil Lorcáin were considered to be at the heart of the Kilbarrack- Foxfield Parish which was a broadly connected community, so the name of Scoil Eoin was to reflect that.
Mr Twomey was the principal of Scoil Eoin boys and girls primary school in 1989 after amalgamation. A new school crest for Scoil Eoin was designed by Mrs Reynolds and Sixth Class in 1990 to unify all the pupils in their new school. The Eagle of St John the Evangelist from the Book of Kells was chosen as the image for the crest and the motto included was, 'Leas na n-Óg' (meaning for the benefit of the young) .
The crest is proudly worn by pupils on their uniform to this present day, and our motto
Leas na N-óg conveys the message that everything we do in Scoil Eoin is for the benefit of the young. A child- centered approach to teaching and learning is at the core of the ethos of our school and our staff continue to ensure our children are at the centre of everything we do.