Muire Gan Smal C
School Details
Location
About
Glasheen Girls Primary School (C) is a Catholic‑patronage primary school situated on School Avenue, Glasheen, Co. Cork. The school’s mission is to holistically develop pupils to their full potential within a happy, safe and inclusive community, placing respect for the individual and a love of lifelong learning at the heart of everyday life. While rooted in the Catholic tradition, the school recognises and welcomes pupils of all faiths and promotes Irish as the language of communication throughout the school day. Its motto, *Imirt, foghlaim agus fas le chéile* – “Let us play, learn and grow together” – reflects a balanced emphasis on play‑based learning, academic rigour and personal development. The learning environment is modern and well‑equipped. Each classroom contains an interactive whiteboard, and the school boasts specialised spaces such as a resource room, a cookery room, an outdoor classroom, a newly built infant playground, a school garden and an indoor sensory room. Recent upgrades have also improved disabled access, ensuring the premises are welcoming to all pupils. In addition to the core curriculum, the school integrates early coding through Beebot robots, supports a range of extracurricular activities—including football, drama and local history trips—and participates in national programmes such as the Blue Star Initiative, fostering broader educational experiences beyond the classroom.
History
Scoil Mhuire gan Smál (C) first opened its doors on 1 September 1897 at the junction of Glasheen Road and Clashduv Road (now the Glenarden housing estate). In 1937 the school relocated to its present site on School Avenue, a short distance up the hill. The original premises were re‑opened in the late 1960s to meet the growing demand for places following new housing developments. A further expansion occurred in 1972 with the construction of a two‑storey building containing six classrooms and a school hall. In recent years the school has been upgraded with resource rooms, a cookery room, an outdoor classroom, a new infant playground, a school garden, interactive whiteboards in every classroom, an indoor sensory room and enhanced disabled‑access facilities.