A historic Dublin boys' school is to welcome girls through its doors for the first time.
St Joseph's secondary school in Fairview is becoming a co-educational school from September 2023 onwards.
It was announced as part of a raft of changes to modernise the football school.
This includes a new technology wing and the introduction of new subjects - including robotics, coding, technology, art, business and horticulture.
Well-known faces who attended the school in the past include former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey, Gaelic footballer Kevin Heffernan and actor Brendan Gleeson.
Principal Seán Stack told Pat Kenny this is an all-rounded approach to change.
"It's an exciting time here - we've been looking at a lot of things over the last few years.
"But I suppose this is a fairly landmarked one".
He says families of boys already attending were looking for school places.
"We were kind of looking at the values and the direction of the school.
"Over the last few years we've really been modernising and looking at the needs of the area.
"We saw that we'd sisters of the brothers going here, and we felt we had something to offer the community that wasn't being offered elsewhere."
'Not aiming for 50/50'
Mr Stack says the first group of girls is likely to be small, but this will grow.
"The plan is in 2023, we'll be taking in girls into the first year class - and it's only the first year class.
"And each year, obviously, that grows up through the school.
"It's not a case of aiming for 50/50 or anything like it in day one.
"It's a case of that it'll grow up through the school and the balance will come that way".
And he says the girls coming in will find a helping hand.
"I've appointed a new assistant principal here in the school, Ms Ciara Dowling.
"And her specific job, apart from being a teacher, is to oversee this transition.
"This is really a case of we are looking at ourselves and we will be changing to become a co-ed school - as opposed to taking girls into an all-boys school".
The admission criteria will be the same for boys and girls alike.
