The Christian Brothers opened their first school in Dundalk in 1869. Their mission was to provide a Catholic education for boys from families that may not have previously had this opportunity. The catchment area was the town of Dundalk and the surrounding region. The new school, which consisted of four classrooms, was located in what are now the gardens of Colaiste Ris, Chapel Street. This originally was the site of a Male National School since 1849. 500 boys were enrolled in the four classes when the Brothers opened their doors! Brother Yorke (after whom Yorke Street is named) was the first principal. The Brothers left Dundalk in the mid-1980s. Brother Cahill was the last Christian Brother principal of the primary school.

Our present school was opened in 1940 and was built on the site of various streets that had been demolished in 1935. The school had always been a single-sex boys’ school. This changed when the first girls enrolled in 1993, and we became a Co-educational school. Six brave girls enrolled that year! Now more than half of the students are girls. In 2018 another significant change occurred at CBS Primary Dundalk, Patricia Mc Keever became the first female principal of the school. Patricia taught in the school for almost 39 years, from September 1982 until January 2021. During her time she hosted the 150 year celebrations of the school which included a visit from the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.

The Happy Days preschool opened in the school in 2006 and proved to be a great addition to the life of the school. Happy Days was owned and operated by Frances Smyth until June 2023. The preschool changed hands and changed its name to CBS Preschool, it is now owned and operated by Donna Kirk.

In 2017 our major school extension opened giving the school community state-of-the-art facilities which include twelve classrooms, resource rooms, an assembly hall, a library, outdoor space, a staff room and offices. We are in the process of redeveloping a section of the school to accommodate our new autism class, which is due to open in 2025.

Tá traidisiún cultúr, teanga, cluichí agus ceol Gaeilge sa scoil le fada an lá agus leanann an traidisiún ceana seo sa scoil inniu.

CBS Dundalk has served generations of children and families of Dundalk and surrounding areas for over 150 years. The school has evolved and developed over the years to meet the changing needs of our communities. We are an inclusive school that cherishes our Catholic ethos and welcomes children of all backgrounds and traditions. We continue our long tradition and look forward to doing so for future generations of our school community.