Oatlands College (Irish: Coláiste Fhearann an Choirce) is a voluntary Christian Brothers secondary school for boys aged 12–18, located in Mount Merrion, County Dublin in Ireland. It prepares students for Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate examinations. The school was ranked as the first best voluntary secondary school in the Republic of Ireland by The Irish Times newspaper in 2021.[citation needed]
| Oatlands College | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
Stillorgan Road, Mount Merrion, County Dublin A94 W7W7 Ireland | |
| Information | |
| Type | Secondary School Voluntary |
| Motto | Facere et docere (To do and to teach) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christian Brothers |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1955 |
| Principal | Caroline Garrett |
| Years offered | 1st Year-6th Year |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 12 to 18 |
| Number of students | 595 [1] |
| Colour(s) | Green and red |
Development
editThe Christian Brothers first established a community in 1951, before opening the school in 1955. It is now under the Trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust. The school added a single storey extension in 1969 and later added a sports hall in 1980. After some modernisation in 1995, the school opened a new wing in 1999.[2] In the summer of 2010, a new technology room, drawing room, music room, a second computer room, two new class rooms and two new science laboratories were added to the building.[3] On 10 May 2012, a new sports hall with a canteen and a new classroom was opened by the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.[3] The school is served by Dublin Bus routes 7b, 7d, 46a, 46e, 47, 116, 118, 145 and 155 along the N11 Stillorgan Road Quality Bus Corridor. The school itself is located about two minutes walk to Stillorgan village.
Sports
editOatlands partakes in Badminton, soccer, basketball, chess, archery and athletics. The school has also a successful golf team who became the South Dublin champions in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2017, the senior badminton team won the South Dublin Cup. In 2018, the junior badminton won the South Dublin Cup with the seniors losing out to Benildus College.[citation needed]
Extra-curricular activities
editSchool teams enter Business Quiz Competitions, Inter-School Debate Competitions, Student Enterprise Awards, the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, Young Social Innovators, Build a Bank, and Edmund Rice Awards. Students also participate in Schools Across Borders, and the Zambia Immersion Programme.
Each year a College Musical is performed by Transition Year students in association with the girls from Dominican College Sion Hill. "Talent Shows" are also held.[citation needed]
There is an annual School Tour in Transition Year to a continental destination (subject to sufficient uptake). Transition Year students may complete the ECDL Computer Course and Oatlands College is a recognised accrediting centre.
A school newsletter `Oatlands News` is currently published twice a year.[citation needed]
Alumni
edit- Niall Williams author and Man Booker Prize nominee 2014
- Brian Brennan, author and journalist
- Paddy Carr, GAA manager; born in Fanad and raised in Dublin
- Kenny Carroll, Irish cricketer
- Dr. Ian Pette, Physician
- Michael Carwood, Irish press journalist
- Don Conroy, artist and RTÉ Television presenter
- Paul Griffin, Gaelic footballer
- Dermot Moran, philosophy professor
- Dermot Morgan, comedian, star of Father Ted
- Paddy Kavanagh, footballer
- Ross O'Carroll, hurler
- Éamon Ó Cuív, TD, Fianna Fáil party politician and former cabinet minister
- Stephen Collins, political editor of The Irish Times
References
edit- ^ Irish Department of Education
- ^ School Website
- ^ a b Outstanding Year of Success and Development Oatlands College News, Summer 2010