Boarding Life

The Boarding School is an integral part of the school.  There are 111 pupils currently boarding and they come from across the country and from across the world and make a valuable contribution to the ethos of the school.

The school prides itself on the family atmosphere within it - there are house-parents for both boys and girls and two matrons.  The teaching staff, alongside other duty staff, play an active role in running the boarding houses.

In particular as a community we are proud that our catering department has been awarded a "Feile Bia" Award for the tractability of the food from farm to fork.

The description of one of our boarders below gives a flavour of what life as a boarder is like.

Life as a boarder

"In my opinion life as a boarder is an irreplaceable experience. You spend 6 years away from your family, which can be tough in the beginning but the benefits outweigh the downsides of living away from home. You learn to be more independent and responsible. This all aids in the development of your personal attitudes to life. It makes the step of leaving home easier.

During the six years in the school, you make friendships that will withstand the test of time. It is like having one big extended family. If you have a problem there is always someone there to talk to.

Your own personal identity is developed as you learn how to live with different people from different backgrounds and ideas about life.

There is a relaxed and friendly atmosphere as everyone learns to accept the people around them.

Life as a boarder is an experience that I would never regret having as I have learnt so much and matured considerably in the few short years in the school. I would recommend it to anyone as the best learning experience for future life.

What we have learnt about how to deal with people will stand to us in the future."