Offaly native appointed principal of 400-pupil Athlone school

On a crisp autumn morning, as he sits at his desk in the pristine campus of Coosan National School in Athlone, Stephen Cunningham speaks with infectious enthusiasm about his new role as its principal.

"I am very fortunate, if I am being honest. Everybody has been very welcoming and supportive. I'm delighted to be here. It's a privilege, really," he says.

At the start of the current school term the Offaly native succeeded Tom Flahive, who had been at the helm in Coosan NS for the previous 23 years and spearheaded the development of its €7 million building.

The building, in use since the beginning of 2019, is up there with the best in the country at primary level, and Mr Cunningham says the benefits it has brought to the school are clear.

"It makes a huge difference to the children and teachers because they are coming in to an environment that's completely conducive to learning," he says.

"I know firsthand, from other schools I've taught in, that these things don't happen overnight.

"I'd like to pay special tribute to Tom Flahive, to Lorraine Harney, to Fr Declan Shannon, to Fr Pat Murphy, to the numerous Boards of Management that contributed, to the teachers, SNAs, ancillary staff, the parents, generous sponsors and everybody, really, who helped to bring this fantastic school to its reality."

Originally from Screggan, on the outskirts of Tullamore, Mr Cunningham lives in Galway, where he previously worked in Bushypark NS and Renmore Junior School.

Although he served in senior management roles in both of his previous schools, the new job in Athlone is his first as principal.

"I suppose this has always been an ambition of mine. The thing I find most fulfilling in life is helping others to achieve their full potential," he says.

"The role of a principal helps me in that regard, in terms of helping pupils to achieve their potential and also providing opportunities for teachers to showcase their talents and further develop their competencies as well. I thoroughly enjoy it."

After attending secondary school in Coláiste Choilm, Tullamore, he began his third level education in NUI Galway where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He then went to the University of Plymouth for his teacher training studies before completing his leadership qualifications in NUI Maynooth.

He is proud of his Offaly roots and has a passion for all sports. He has represented his county at underage levels in both football and hurling, while also playing Fitzgibbon Cup hurling in NUI Galway and soccer at varsity level in the UK.

In Coosan, he hopes to continue the school's strong sporting tradition, adding that hurling was one sport he felt had potential to be developed further there in the years ahead.

"There's a proud history of education, a great tradition of sport, and I just want to continue to nurture and develop these traditions that have been in the school since the beginning and over the years while also establishing some new ones.

"We also want to continue to position the school as the first choice of primary school for the children of Coosan and surrounding areas."

There are 418 pupils enrolled at the school, and it is currently at capacity, with a waiting list for enrolment.

With some large-scale housing developments planned for east Athlone in the coming years, Mr Cunningham said any decision about adding to the school's capacity would have to be led by the Board of Management and Department of Education.

"The Department of Education will look at Coosan, and look at all the schools, and make decisions based on where they feel the need is," he replies.

"Would we be open to more? It all depends on the Department of Education; the Board of Management and myself are guided by them. But, as it stands, we are more than happy with what we have,” he says.

He said his top priority was ensuring that the school's pupils were happy coming to school, were learning, and achieving their full potential. He also spoke about the importance of teachers being valued and appreciated for their contribution to this process.

"Another thing that's important to mention is that we're very lucky to have a special education unit with two special classes," he says.

"The whole area of inclusion is so important in education nowadays, and in our school we have many successful, established integration practices such as integrating pupils from special education needs settings into mainstream settings, and vice versa."

As he continues to settle into his new role, he says he is looking forward to developing more links with the local community in the Coosan area.

"It takes a little bit of time to build that rapport with people, the local services, the different community groups. I’ve started that process and I'm looking forward to continuing to build on that.

"I'm also very grateful to the local principals' network. They've been very supportive and welcoming to me as well as other new principals to the area. It's an invaluable support. All of the principals and schools are doing their best to provide for the pupils in their care."

Mr Cunningham is married to Sinéad and the couple have two children, Sadhbh and Eimhin. Outside of school, his life revolves around his young family and maintaining his interest in sport.

"I've retired from competitive sport but I enjoy watching and playing any bit of sport I can," he says.

The quality of the school he has inherited as principal makes his commute from Galway to Athlone much easier.

"It's not about the journey, it's about the destination. And who wouldn't be happy to get into a car and drive to a school like this?" he comments.

"But as somebody very wise once said, 'a school is just four walls surrounding a future'. The most important people are the pupils inside and their futures, shaped by our wonderful teachers in tandem with their parents.

"It's also very important that pupils learn to appreciate what they have and where they are, and that they carry on that mantra when they go into their secondary school, remembering where they have come from and knowing that they will always be part of the Coosan NS family," he concludes.