Posted online: Jun 6th, 2007

It’s the end of an educational era in Athy.
After almost 150 years of education in the town the Christian Brothers are handing over their legacy to a trusteeship which will now form an amalgamated co-educational school.
The CBS secondary school, Scoil Eoin is to amalgamate with Scoil Mhuire to form Ardscoil Na Trínóide this September, calling an end to the Christian Brothers time in Athy.
After 150 years of educational excellence professional lives.
“A school is the sum of its parts. Each Brother, teacher, principal, pupil and staff member has contributed in a unique way to Athy CBS over the years and even though the Brothers are gone, the spirit of their goodwill shall live on in the town” said Donal O’Siochru in ‘A Memoir’ a recently released publication to commemerate the Brother’s time in Athy.
The Christian Brothers fi rst arrived in Athy on August 8, 1861- a date which ushered in a new era of academic excellence to the town. The so too did the school. Numbers grew with the introduction of free education and the cirriculum changed to embrace modern languages and the sciences and more lay teachers were brought on board.
When Scoil Eoin closes its doors for the last time and before the amalgamation it will see the classes of 2007 and 2008 enter into a new phase of history in Athy.
The Brothers may be gone but Edmund Rice Square and the legacy they left behind will ensure they are not forgotten.