THE newly-appointed principal of St. Paul’s Primary School says she has always had a “special connection” with the Irvinestown school.

Mrs Anne Molloy, who is currently vice-principal at the school, will take over from the departing Shauna Cathcart at the start of January.

In the New Year, Mrs Cathcart intends to start up a new business offering counselling and wellbeing services for teachers and young people.

Born and brought up in Irvinestown, Mrs Molloy (nee McElholm) was among the first pupils to attend St. Paul’s when it opened 50 years ago and has also been teaching there since 1984.

Speaking to the Impartial Reporter on Tuesday morning, the mother-of-one said she had spent most of her life in St. Paul’s and felt “very privileged” to have been selected as the new principal.

Mrs Molloy said that, when she entered St. Paul’s as a pupil 50 years ago, her mother Alice McElholm was one of the first teachers.

Mother and daughter later taught together for six years before Alice retired.

Now, Mrs Molloy’s own daughter, 23-year-old Michaela, is following in their footsteps by training to be a teacher at Newman University in Birmingham.

Looking ahead to the start of 2017, the new principal said: “I am looking forward to working with the staff, parents and the local community to ensure that our pupils receive the best all-round education that they can.”

Having studied at St. Mary’s College in Belfast, after graduating Mrs Molloy spent a year on sabbatical when she was president of the Students Union.

Her first teaching job was at St. Aidan’s High School in Derrylin, where she spent a year before accepting a position at her old school in Irvinestown in 1984.

She said: “I’ve always had a connection with my local community and I was delighted to get employment in Irvinestown.”

When she first arrived back at St. Paul’s she was working under principal John O’Kane, who had taught her in P5 and P7.

She was subsequently appointed as vice-principal of the school 14 years ago and is now preparing to step up to the top job.

“I just feel very privileged to have been selected. I’ve been a member of the team at St. Paul’s for a long time. They’re a good team,” she said.

Paying a special tribute to her predecessor, Mrs Molloy added: “It’s been great working with Shauna. I’ve learnt a lot from her and I’m sorry to see her go.”