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About Us

History

Bishop Galvin National School is a Co-educational School in Orwell Park, Templeogue. It operates within the rules of the Department of Education and Skills and is under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin. It caters mainly for children, in the age range eight to twelve, in the Parish of St. Jude the Apostle, Willington, Templeogue, Dublin 6W.

It is named after Bishop Edward Galvin, a native of Newcestown Co. Cork, who became a missionary priest. He was co-founder of the Columban Fathers and spent most of his missionary life in China. The school stands on its present site as a result of a land grant by the Columban Fathers to the parish of Willington which, in the early seventies, was being administered by the Rev. Andrew P. Boland the first chairman of the school board.

The school opened in 1975 with 102 pupils and six teachers. The first Principal was Seán Healy. He retired in 1994 and was succeeded by Jimmy O'Dwyer. Jimmy retired in 2006 and was succeeded by Eamonn Treacy.

By 1979 numbers attending the school dictated that a second school be built in the parish. This school, Bishop Shanahan N.S., caters for children from Junior Infants to Second, while Bishop Galvin N.S. takes children from third to sixth.

At present the school has 22 teachers. This includes 16 mainstream teachers, 5 Learning Support / Resource Teachers and an Administrative Principal. The teaching staff is supported by 4 Special Needs Assistants, a caretaker and a secretary. The school has a proud tradition in Information Technology. It has a dedicated computer room and all classrooms have Interactive Whiteboards. Mobile laptop trolleys with full internet access enable pupils to work on laptops in their own classrooms. It also has a Cookery Room, which is very popular with Senior classes. It hosts an annual Visual Arts Exhibition which proudly displays the work of all our pupils. It also has a biannual Musical when all pupils are given a chance to perform on stage. Bishop Galvin N.S., has a proud sporting tradition and teams regularly reach Cumann na mBunscol finals in Croke Park. Our Athletics teams compete in Santry each year. We are lucky to have extensive grounds which we share with Bishop Shanahan National School.

School Crest

The elements that make up the Crest of the school reflect on the life of the school and the ideals of Bishop Galvin.
The Dragon : Symbol of China and Bishop Galvin's work there.
The Staff : A symbol of the Bishop's authority.
The Flame : The flame of knowledge signifying the work of the school.
The Rising Sun : The symbol of "The Far East" and the present day work of the Columban Fathers.
The Hills : The Dublin mountains viewed from the school's playground

Mission Statement

Bishop Galvin National School is a Catholic co-educational national school in the parish of St. Jude the Apostle, Willington, catering for children from third to sixth class. The school is under the patronage of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin.

While Bishop Galvin N.S. is a school with a Catholic ethos, it also has due recognition for all other religions.

Bishop Galvin N.S. strives to create a warm, safe and secure learning environment for all the school community, where all can live, work and play in pleasant surroundings and in peace and harmony with each other.

Bishop Galvin N.S. strives to give each child an equal chance of obtaining optimum personal fulfilment.

Bishop Galvin N.S. strives to promote, both individually and collectively, the professional and personal development of teachers through staff development programmes.

Bishop Galvin N.S. encourages the involvement of parents through home/school contacts and through their involvement in the Bishop Galvin N.S. and Bishop Shanahan Parents Association.

Bishop Galvin N.S. promotes gender equity amongst teachers, pupils and ancillary staff.

Déanfaimid iarracht Gaeilge a labhairt.

The school motto is:

“Ní neart go cur le chéile”

Bishop Edward Galvin

The person after whom our school is named is someone who said ‘YES’ to God all his life. Throughout his early life, Edward Galvin always wanted to be a priest. He was ordained in Maynooth College as a priest on June 9, 1909. However, he was advised to go to America for a parish as there were no vacancies in the Diocese of Cork. While in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, he learned a great deal about China and volunteered to go there. Fr. Galvin was shocked at both the economic and spiritual poverty in China. In 1918, he helped found the Missionary Society of Saint Columban. Two years later, Fr. Galvin led the first pioneer band of missionaries to China. They encountered many problems such as poverty, hunger, leprosy and TB. From 1921-1950, China was in constant chaos. In 1927, he was ordained as Bishop of Hangyang. In 1931, 200,000 victims of flooding depended largely on the Hangyang missions for food and aid. In 1937, at the outbreak of war between China and Japan, the Columbans were called upon to care for wounded Chinese soldiers. During World War 2, American and Australian Columbans were considered enemies and forced to return home. Bishop Galvin was expelled from China in 1952 and left for the US before returning to Ireland where he died in late 1957.

Bishop Galvin answered God’s call and throughout his life gave of himself to others and offered 40 heroic years to missionary service in helping others less fortunate than himself.