About Our School
Click below to check out our Website’s Curriculum and Wellbeing Sections to find out more about the wonderful things we do at St. Mary’s
A Place To Grow…
St. Mary’s is a school for children with a primary diagnosis of mild intellectual disability located in a beautiful countryside setting in Rochestown, Co.Cork.
Currently, we have 11 classes in total:
Lime Class - Our Primary age Pupils (currently 3rd-6th)
Holly, Maple, Walnut & Classes - Our Lower Secondary age Pupils (1st-3rd Year)
Blackthorn, Beech & Whitethorn Classes - Our Upper Secondary age Pupils (4th - 6th Year)
3 of our classes are specifically for pupils with a diagnosis of autism and a mild/moderate intellectual disability.
Oak Class - Lower Primary age pupils
Rowan Class - Upper Primary age pupils
Ash Class - Lower Secondary age pupils
Our School Principal is Ms. Kerri Hollywell.
St. Mary’s Special School has been in operation since 1974.
The school initially operated as a boarding school for pupils from Cork and surrounding counites under the leadership of St. Mary’s first Principal Mr. Eamon O’Neill (1974-1998) and the direction of the Brothers of Charity. By 1998, the school had transitioned to operating exclusively as a day school.
In 1999, Mrs. Mary Conroy was appointed as the 2nd Principal of St. Mary’s. Mrs. Conroy was Principal for 20 years and retired in 2019.
School History
Mr. Eamon O’Neill
Mrs. Mary Conroy