Gaelscoil Osrai
School Details
Location
About
Gaelscoil Osraí is a mixed‑gender primary school situated on Outrath Road in Kilkenny City. Operating under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory, the school delivers its curriculum through the medium of Irish, placing the language at the heart of everyday learning. The ethos combines a strong academic programme with a vibrant celebration of Irish culture, including traditional music, song, and indigenous sports such as hurling, Gaelic football, handball and rounders. The school benefits from a purpose‑built two‑storey building opened in 1999, complemented by a modern library and additional classrooms added in 2015‑2016 and 2020. Temporary prefabricated units were introduced from 2005 to accommodate growth, bringing the total teaching staff to twenty‑four. Facilities support a holistic education that nurtures spiritual development, moral values and community spirit, reflecting the school’s Catholic foundation while fostering a lively, positive learning environment for its approximately 450 pupils.
History
Gaelscoil Osraí was founded in 1984 when a group of parents secured Department of Education permission to establish an Irish‑medium school in Kilkenny. The inaugural class of twenty‑two pupils began in a rented room from the local GAA club, with the Mayor of Kilkenny officially opening the school on 1 September 1984. After its first year a teaching assistant was appointed and the school obtained its own site on Outrath Road, initially using prefabricated structures and temporarily occupying St Patrick’s Boys School. In 1987 Míchéal Ó Máirtín became principal, and a new permanent building was completed in 1999, opened by the Minister for Education. Further expansion saw additional prefabs added from 2005, a two‑storey extension and library built between 2015‑2016, and another classroom completed in 2020. Leadership passed to Seán Ó hArgáin in 2008 and to Siobhán Ní Chorcora in 2022. Today the school employs twenty‑four teachers and educates almost four hundred and fifty pupils.