History of St. Clare’s School

In May 1861 at the request of the then Bishop of Kilmore, Dr. Browne three sisters left the Poor Clare’s Convent in Newry to to set up a convent in Cavan “for the education and salvation of the Little Ones of Our Divine Lord.”
Slowly but surely the small community expanded and in the year 1865 an Orphanage was opened which was certified as an Industrial School in 1869. In 1872 the Cavan order branched out and established a Convent in Ballyjamesduff. In the year 1911 the Convent celebrated its Golden Jubilee. Tragedy struck the school in 1943 when there was a disastrous fire in which 35 children died. In 1957 a new school was opened with a secondary school in addition to the primary school.
With numbers on the Increase the present school was built and opened in 1969. Numbers have increased hugely in recent years and we now have in excess of 500 pupils and a staff of over 30.