President cuts cake to mark school’s 100th birthday

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese helped a Dublin primary school celebrate its 100th birthday yesterday morning.

Castle Park School in Dalkey includes U2 bass player Adam Clayton, former Call My Bluff TV show star Patrick Campbell and Irish Times crossword compiler Derek Crozier aka Crosaire among its past pupils.

The school's current 260 pupils were joined by Mrs McAleese for the centenary celebrations.

Before the formalities, however, the school joined her in observing a three-minute silence for the victims of last week's bombings in Madrid.

The President then proceeded to cut a special cake, iced with the figure 100, much to the delight of pupils and staff who took a break from classes to celebrate the event.

Castle Park School first opened its doors in 1904 and was originally a boarding school for young boys, many of whom came from England. It is set in a castle-style building on extensive parkland in Dalkey.

The first boy to arrive at the school, Harold Boyd, came from Hertfordshire in England. Sadly, he also had the distinction of being the first ex-pupil to be killed in World War I.

The school has had girls on its roll book for the last decade and no longer offers boarding facilities.

However, it retains many of the old traditions, including a system of houses, familiar to readers and viewers of the Harry Potter books and films.

Castle Park principal Carl Collings said it was a truly historic day for the school. "In this centenary year, we look to the future and the challenges that lie ahead to lay the foundations for the next 100 years," he said.

The school's motto, Mens sana in corpore sano, means a healthy mind in a healthy body. Mr Collings said this ideal is vigorously pursued in the school, where children are encouraged to achieve high academic standards but also are encouraged to pursue healthy activities and be good citizens.