Principal of St Mark’s retires from role after twenty years

EITHNE Coyne retired from her role as the principal of St Mark’s Community School in Tallaght last week, after nearly two decades at the helm.

Ms Coyne proudly spent her entire teaching career in St Mark’s, which began when she was hired by the school as a newly qualified science and maths teacher in 1980.

“I joined St Mark’s Community School quite soon after it was founded in 1977,” Ms Coyle told The Echo.

“It was all very new and exciting, and the community was very new too – there was a real enthusiasm.”

A native of Roscommon, Ms Coyne said her educational experiences were at a rural primary school, and a convent school for second-level education, before she embarked on a career in teaching.

This was in stark contrast to the environment that she encountered in St Mark’s, which was more progressive and student-centred, and where she almost instantly felt a sense of belonging.

“The minute I walked into St Mark’s, I never wanted to be anywhere else, to be honest,” Ms Coyne recalled.

“It was very organised and everyone was very clear on what they were doing. It was a pioneering school under the leadership of Frank Murray and Billy O’Hara.

“The model of a community school was different. It took all the academic subjects in secondary and it had practical subjects, and every subject had equal status.”

The development of St Mark’s also had to keep pace with the growing population of Tallaght, and the changing landscape which Ms Coyne witnessed over the years.

“In the ’80s, Tallaght was a growing town,” she said. “It was very desolate. Everyone had to get buses everywhere. There were no shops, and in St Mark’s you knew you were going to make a difference.

“A lot of people moved into the area from the inner city, making a new life for themselves, and so the school had to be a focal point for the community.”

During her tenure, Ms Coyne steadily rose through the ranks from teacher to year head, and then deputy principal before ultimately becoming the principal of St Mark’s.

This was despite Ms Coyne having no firm career goals, instead choosing to go with the flow, and her reputation for engaging with the students wasn’t diminished when she became principal.

“In a community school, the principal isn’t as detached as you might think, we’re still quite connected to the young people,” she explained.

“If you’re not on the ground, if you don’t see things, then you don’t know what changes are needed.”

According to Ms Coyne, some of the highpoints of her career included being involved in curriculum reforms, school inclusion and restorative practice.

Overall, however, Ms Coyne feels most strongly about the links she has forged with the school community over the years.

Over the last fortnight, the students and staff of St Mark’s have been holding events to celebrate Ms Coyne and to wish her well on her retirement, which commenced on Friday.

“The school community that I’m a part of, are so kind and compassionate, and I’ll miss that human connection with them,” she said.

Speaking to The Echo on Tuesday evening, Ms Coyne said she was enjoying her retirement but was missing the school that she spent almost her entire working life in.

“I’m two days into retiring, and I’ve still got lots of loose ends to tie up,” she said.

“In school, you’ll always want to do more, but we always think we have time, and that’s the biggest mistake you make in life.

“I’m sad that it’s over, but I know it’s a stage of my life that I’ve given all that I can to. I feel so grateful and so blessed that I had this opportunity in this school and in this community.”