Coláiste Cois Siúire
School Details
Location
About
Coláiste Cois Siúire is a modern, co‑educational, non‑denominational post‑primary school situated on a spacious four‑acre campus in the Kilkenny‑Carlow ETB area. The school delivers a quality education within a safe, mutually respectful and innovative learning environment, recognising each pupil’s individuality and encouraging enthusiastic, determined learners. Small class sizes and a favourable pupil‑teacher ratio support personalised instruction, while a broad, balanced curriculum offers a wide range of subject options that promote lifelong learning. The school’s ethos is underpinned by the five core values of the Education and Training Board – excellence, care, equality, community and respect – and it embraces technology to keep students and parents connected to teaching, assessment and reporting. Extra‑curricular provision is extensive, including team sports, music, a free nutritious breakfast club, and dedicated bus services, all aimed at fostering a well‑rounded, supportive community where academic achievement and personal development thrive.
History
Mooncoin Vocational School, one of Ireland’s first rural vocational schools, opened in 1935 after the efforts of Canon Doyle and Minister for Education Tom Derrig. Initially offering woodwork, rural science and domestic science to three classrooms, the school aimed to provide post‑primary education and improve agricultural knowledge in the parish. Over the decades it expanded with night classes for adults, a farmers’ discussion group (1939) that led to the formation of Macra na Feirme (1944), and new workshops for building and metalwork in the 1950s. Enrolments grew, prompting prefabricated classrooms and the introduction of the Leaving Certificate in 1978. In 1993 the new, renamed institution – Coláiste Cois Siúire – was officially opened, continuing its legacy of community‑focused, innovative education.