St Mac Dara's Community College

St MacDara's Community College (Irish: Coláiste Pobail MhicDara Naofa) is a secondary school situated on Wellington Lane, Templeogue in South Dublin. It is run by a Board of Management appointed by the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (previously the County Dublin Vocational Education Committee (C.D.V.E.C)) and the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, and including community representatives,[1] and is a non-fee paying school.

St MacDara's Community College
Coláiste Pobail MhicDara Naofa

St Mac Dara Communitatis Collegii
Location
Templeogue, Dublin 6W

Ireland
Coordinates53.2971829°N 6.3267443°W / 53.2971829; -6.3267443
Information
MottoAr Aghaidh
(Forward)
Established1982
PrincipalDerek Ward
Staff60
Years offered6
Gendermixed-sex
Age12 to 18
Number of students900
Colour(s)Grey and blue
WebsiteOfficial website

Academics

St Mac Dara's accommodates both Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate students. As of 2018 the school was ranked sixth in Ireland in terms of the number of students who progressed to third level and by the types of institution to which the students progressed.[2]

It has an optional Transition Year programme, usually restricted to one class with a maximum of 30 students per year.

Facilities

St Mac Dara's has facilities including four science laboratories, three home economics classrooms with appliances, two art classrooms, two woodwork classrooms, two engineering classrooms, two technical graphics rooms and over 40 classrooms. The two computer classrooms contain over 30 broadband-enabled computers. There is also a physical education hall / gymnasium on the school grounds. The school was selected in 2010 as one of 100 schools to be part of the Government's 100mbits Broadband Initiative, and every classroom was fitted with a smartboard, projector and a 100Mbit/s broadband enabled laptop.

Extra-curricular activities

Sport

The school has a range of sporting and extra curricular activities including Gaelic football, hurling, soccer, rugby, basketball, golf and canoeing. St Mac Dara's made history in 2012 by winning both the Dublin and Leinster Senior Football Championships.

There are nearly 1000 students in the school. The classes are named after Irish place names such as Ardagh, Dublin and Cashel.

Societies

The school has a number of voluntary organisations and societies, including a History Society, choir, orchestra, Gaeilge Society and an Amnesty International group, which organises an annual Fair Trade Fair and various other fundraisers throughout the year.

St MacDara's presents a musical every year. On 10 March 2009, the St MacDara's choir participated in the V.E.C Festival of Music.

Charity

The school has tradition of charity fundraising, and the college has been noted for its contributions to the Irish charity Trócaire (around €60,000 per year). In 2010, the school raised more money than any other school in Ireland for Trócaire for the 10th year in a row. Annual fundraising activities undertaken by the college's students include a sponsored 24-hour fast, a table quiz, and a soccer marathon. A group of students traveled to Honduras/Nicaragua in 2005 as part of a charity project.

One of St MacDara's art rooms

Governance

The school is overseen by a Board of Management, appointed by the Education and Training Board and the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, and including parental, community and teaching representatives.[1] It has an advisory Student Council.[3]

In October 2006, St MacDara's was used to shoot a scene in the film Assault of Darkness[4] starring Vinnie Jones. Some of the fourth and fifth year students were used as extras in the scene, which was filmed in one of the science rooms.

History

The school was founded in 1982, under the County Dublin Vocational Education Committee (C.D.V.E.C), after a campaign for a school in the Willington area. It started with 66 pupils, and has since reached a population of over 800. The Archbishop assigned the Marist Order to oversee the school for the diocese. A site on Wellington Lane was secured, and the official opening ceremony was conducted by John Boland in May 1984.[5]

Derek Ward commenced as the latest principal in 2019.[1]

25th year anniversary celebrations

2007/2008 was the 25th year of the college's existence. Celebration events included a school magazine and the musical production Carmen. The Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin visited the school on 5 March 2008 as the guest of honour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the school.

1916 commemorations

The school held two commemorative days for the centenary of 1916, with guests speakers, including one of its former teachers, deputy president of DCU, Daire Keogh.[6]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Board minutes". St. Mac Dara's Community College. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  2. "High School ranks top in State, says new league table". Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  3. "Student Council". St. Mac Dara's Community College. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  4. "Assault of Darkness". IMDb. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  5. "History of the College". St. Mac Dara's Community College. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  6. "1916 Celebrations". St. Mac Dara's Community College. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  7. "Hall's Well". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
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