In September 1948, pioneering educator Padhraic Sweeney opend Scoil Damhnait at Achill Sound, Co. Mayo, thus ushering in secondary education for the young people in the parish of Achill and the surrounding areas of Mulranny and Ballycroy, and breaking the cycle of teenage migration that had been part of Achill life for generations.

Sweeney's vision and mission for the new school was that it would prepare students so that with their educational qualifications they would go better equipped out into the world, they would have enhanced opportunities in seeking and gaining employment, and some might even go on to attend university. During the period of its operation, the "Secondary" or "Padhraic's", as it was also known, often received plaudits for the achievements of its students and was, in its time, described by one commentator as "the most remarkable of all secondary schools in the country".