"On February 1st, 1900, His Lordship, Bishop Henry, arrived in Waterville Street to bless and officially open the new school. He asked the Principal, Br. Gall Deasy, what the school was to be called, and when told that no name had been chosen, his Lordship said, "In that case, we will name it St. Gall's" - an obvious compliment to the first headmaster!
Br. Gall was born in Cork in 1870 and during his illustrious teaching career, was in charge of eleven different schools throughout Ireland.
With Br. Gall on the original staff were Bros. Isadore, Fridolin and Patrick. They taught in four classrooms, the 'upstairs' rooms being reserved for 'half-timers'.
By means of partitioning, a further two rooms were added at a later date.
In 1933, a new wing overlooking Cupar Street was added, giving a total of ten rooms. Finally in 1968, four extra rooms, a gymnasium and kitchen were added, bringin the school belatedly up to acceptable standards.
The De La Salle Brothers were in charge of St. Gall's for over 80 years. During the first 50 years, the school was staffed almost exclusively by brothers. The opening of several schools in Dublin in the fifties meant that the number of brothers available for schools like St. Gall's diminished gradually, culminating in total withdrawal in 1983.
"I was privileged to be on the staff of St. Gall's for the greater part of my teaching career and have very happy memories of the pupils, their parents and the dedicated teachers who provided an excellent education for generations of young people in the Clonard area and far beyond.
I know I speak for the De La Salle Order when I wish St. Gall's continued success in the future and that, as you enter the new millennium, you will remain faithful to the ideals envisioned by those who established the little school in Waterville Street, a century ago."
(Brother Leopold Spillane on the occasion of the school's centenary 2000) In the light of the current educational cuuriculum, the St. Gall's School building, due to its age, has been categorised as being limited in its scope. In September 2004 St. Gall's will close to amalgamate with St. John's and St. Catherine's. A new school, St. Clare's is presently umder construction at Cupar Street.
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