De La Salle Principal Retires

Our former principal dedicated 38 years of service to De La Salle. He joined De La Salle in 1973 when it was still a 'Secondary Top' as a History and English Teacher. In 1978 the school moved to its present campus and Martin established himself as a mainstay in both his subject areas. In the eighties he was prominently involved in fund-raising for the school's gymnasium and later won the position of Mayor of Dundalk in the process raising the profile of the college and the much needed building funds too. At this point, we could have easily lost him to the cut and thrust of the world of politics, were it not for his great commitment and loyalty to De La Salle.
During his time at the college he was heavily involved in G.A.A. activities, coaching many of the school teams. He was also instrumental in the setting up of The Dundalk Colleges team twelve years ago, a cause he has championed ever since and that has led to great victories for the schools as recently as 2011.

Martin has also been busy in terms of his involvement at management level over the years. He was a teacher member,on the first Board of Management in 1993, and served for six years. In 1998 he was appointed as deputy Principal, succeeding the very highly regarded Mr. Brendan McCooey who had been Vice-Principal of the school for over 30 years. During his time as deputy he and then Principal, Br. Gregory Ferguson, presided over the long awaited opening of the new extension and the marking of the first centenary of the De La Salle brothers presence in Dundalk.
In 2003, after the departure of Br. Gregory, Martin became the first lay Principal in the history of the college. Under his stewardship many changes have been made in terms of new subjects, increased numbers and up-graded facilities. The school he leaves behind is much enhanced due, in no small part, to his hard work and ingenuity. He will be sadly missed by students and staff alike, a feeling made real at the end of the last term when many representatives from the student body and the wider school community made presentations to him to mark his retirement.
We would like to wish Martin a long and active retirement and know that whatever project he may turn his hands to next, he will dedicate himself to it with enthusiasm and expertise. Many thanks to Martin for his many years of exemplary service and tireless work, on all our behalves.