Scoil Mhuire Agus Ide
School Details
Location
About
Scoil Mhuire agus Íde is a lay‑owned, co‑educational Voluntary Catholic secondary school situated on Bóthar Buí, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick. The school welcomes students transitioning from primary to second‑level education and delivers the curriculum prescribed by the Department of Education and Science, enriched by a strong Catholic ethos. Its mission is to nurture educated, mature and committed Christians, combining academic excellence with a caring community where personal faith is developed. The school offers a broad range of programmes across the Junior Cycle, Transition Year and Senior Cycle, supported by a comprehensive suite of policies covering everything from special educational needs and anti‑bullying to health and safety and digital use. Extra‑curricular activities, student voice initiatives and community engagement are integral to school life, providing pupils with opportunities to develop sporting, cultural and leadership skills. Recent investment in a new extension has enhanced learning spaces, ensuring modern facilities that support both classroom teaching and specialised activities.
History
Scoil Mhuire agus Íde was established in 1992 through the amalgamation of two historic institutions. Scoil Mhuire originated from an 1850 orphanage run by the Sisters of Mercy, evolving into a convent secondary school that taught through Irish before switching to English in the 1960s; it expanded significantly after the introduction of free post‑primary education in 1967. St Ítás began in 1935 as a boys’ secondary school founded by the Newcastle West Protective and Town Traders Association and the parish priest, initially housed in the Carnegie Library hall and later expanding its premises. By the early 1990s both schools served hundreds of pupils, and their merger created the present co‑educational voluntary Catholic secondary school, governed by a Board of Trustees and a Board of Management.