Secondary School

Gaelcholáiste Mhuire

An Mhainistir Thuaidh, Cork
Gaeltacht Mixed

School Details

Address
Gaelcholáiste Mhuire (A.G.), An Mhainistir Thuaidh
Location
An Mhainistir Thuaidh, Cork
School Type
Secondary
Total Enrollment (2025/26)
690 students
Enrollment Split
322 Girls, 368 Boys
Ethos
Catholic
Irish Classification
All pupils taught all subjects through Irish
Gender
Mixed
Roll Number
62531H
Latest Inspection Reports
View on gov.ie

About

Gaelcholáiste Mhuire A.G. is a Catholic, co‑educational secondary school situated on the historic North Monastery site in Cork. Operating under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, the college provides a caring environment where Christian values are woven throughout the curriculum and pastoral life. The school delivers its programme through the medium of Irish, with English forms also available, fostering bilingual proficiency and cultural continuity. The campus occupies a modern building that was redeveloped from the former Christian Brothers’ monastery, offering contemporary science laboratories, specialist classrooms and ample space for sport and extracurricular activities. Recent plans for a €16 million state‑of‑the‑art extension demonstrate a commitment to expanding facilities and enhancing the learning environment. With an enrolment of around 535 pupils, the college promotes academic excellence, personal fulfilment and a strong sense of community, encouraging students to achieve both scholastic and personal goals.

History

Gaelcholáiste Mhuire traces its roots to the North Monastery, founded by the Christian Brothers on 9 September 1811 in a modest house opposite the Cathedral. The first school building, Ard Muire, was erected in 1816, and the Brothers traditionally taught the senior ‘A’ classes through Irish. From the 1970s until 2002 the school operated from the former Scoil an Bhr. De Búrca site. In 1994 the Brothers’ house was vacated, providing a new location for a Gaelic college that would admit both girls and boys. The college officially opened on the present site in mid‑September 2002 and adopted the name Gaelcholáiste Mhuire A.G. in 1998. It became fully co‑educational in 2001, and today serves approximately 535 pupils.