Castle Park was founded in 1904 as a private school by W. P. Toone who handed over the School to Donald Pringle in 1938. After his death, the ownership passed to a limited company with charitable status in 1965 and has since then been administered by a Board of Directors. The Board membership has tended to include current and recent parents. Since 1970 Castle Park has been co-educational and is now entirely a day School.

On Tuesday 29th March 1904, the Irish Times announced that a castellated Dalkey residence, set in thirty-four acres, had been sold for the sum of £4,070. In September 1904, an unknown Englishman, Mr Wilfred P. Toone founded Castle Park as a private School for boys with 20 pupils. In the archives, there are stories about the great respect that pupils had for Mr Toone – he reputedly commanded undivided attention at his Friday morning assemblies. The School continued to grow through the twenties and thirties with accounts of the occasional skirmish on the grounds in the troubled years from 1916 to 1923. During the Second World War an air raid siren was erected in the Tower and the basement was used as a shelter.

To help the war effort, one of the playing fields was given over to growing vegetables and the house gardens were filled with lettuces, tomatoes etc. In spite of all of this the School routines went on as normal and the pupil numbers grew to capacity with nearly 70 boarders. In 1940 the cricket pavilion was built and Mr Toone handed over the School to Mr Donald Pringle in 1938. Many years later, a few years after Mr Pringle’s death, the private ownership was passed to a charitable trust.

In 1953 the School changed its crest to the quartered design that is used today. One quarter each for the family crests of Mr Wilfred Toone and Mr Donald Pringle, a symbolic picture of the Castle and an open book to display learning, all in the School colours underneath the School motto – Mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body). The early 1960s were marked by the passing of both Mr Toone and Mr Pringle. Mr Palmer Carter became headmaster in 1962 and the pool, dining hall, kitchen, main classroom wing and Headmaster’s house were constructed. In 1967, Castle Park School became a charitable trust. Sibling girls were admitted in the early 1970s and in 1975 the School officially became co-educational, which in 1977 led to the Castle Park Old Boys’ Society becoming the Old Cepians’ Society. In 1979, 75 years after its foundation, there were 116 pupils registered, of which 27 were girls. In 1989, Mr Carter retired and Mr Carl Collings became headmaster. Mr Collings’ arrival coincided with the opening of the Montessori department and in 1991 he oversaw the merger with Brook House. Ross House is named after the founder of Brook House, Mr Peter Ross. In 1994 new changing rooms were added with additional classrooms above. Boarding ended in 1998 as a consequence of the reduced demand from parents for such provision. After 15 years at the helm, Mr Collings left Castle Park in July 2004 and the current headmaster took over.

Following a review of the School and its position in the Irish education environment it was decided to renew all of the school buildings, to provide unrivalled indoor educational and sports facilities and at the same time to redevelop the outdoor amenities of this wonderful fifteen acre campus.

 

Governance – The Board of Directors

Castle Park is directed by an independent, private company with charitable status and is entirely self-financing.  Our independence allows us to respond appropriately to a rapidly changing world while enjoying the freedom to hold onto our long-established values and traditions.  Castle Park pupils enjoy a quality, all round education that develops the whole person – academically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically in state-of-the-art facilities.

 

Members of the Board of Directors

Mr Alexis FitzGerald – Chairman
Mr Colin Beecham
Mr Stephen Cullen
Ms Philippa Cottle
Mr George McCullagh
Ms Áine Ní Neachtain
Mr Conor O’Gallagher
Mr Bill Paterson