Photo: Joseph Mischyshyn · CC BY-SA 2.0More children at the schools around Blarney: +45% since 2019/20, above Co. Cork’s towns and Irish towns
In the comparison, Blarney comes above both Co. Cork’s towns (+1%) and Irish towns (+4%). Its schools have 2,101 pupils, 45% more than in 2019/20. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
Schools in the town or within 3 km of its outline, Department of Education lists for 2025/26; the Ireland figures cover all schools listed.
What stands out about Blarney’s schools
More all-Irish schools than most places
Families here have more choice of a school that teaches every subject through Irish than in most of Ireland, where 8% of schools do. The school is Gaelscoil Mhuscraí (195). Language ↓
More pupils every year
Pupil numbers at the schools here have grown faster than across Ireland (+5% since 2019/20), so classes and new places are a question worth asking. Pupils over time ↓
A wide choice at twelve
28 post-primary schools lie within 10 km, so families here have a real choice at twelve; each admits on its own policy. The nearest: Scoil Mhuire gan Smal (0.6 km), Coláiste Choilm (5.4 km) and Terence Mac Swiney Community College (5.5 km). Post-primary choices ↓
One school growing fast
Of the schools here, Scoil Mhuire gan Smal has grown fastest, from 803 in 2019/20 to 1,124. Getting a place ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
Teaching through Irish in and around Blarney
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
1 of Blarney’s 5 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Mhuscraí.
Pupil numbers around Blarney
Every school in or within 3 km of the town each September, counted where it stands today.
The schools in and around Blarney had 1,328 pupils in 2015/16 and 2,101 in 2025/26. Scoil Mhuire gan Smal grew most: +40% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Blarney
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year, 2015/16 to 2025/26 (preliminary), for every school placed in the area today; schools that have since closed or merged count where they stood.
Who runs Blarney’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
5 of Blarney’s 5 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Cloyne (2), Bishop of Cork & Ross (2) and An Foras Pátrúnachta (1). 1 of the 5 are in DEIS, the extra support for schools in disadvantaged areas (30% across Ireland).
Department of Education school lists: ethos 2025/26, patron 2024/25 (the 2025/26 lists don’t give it). DEIS list 2025/26.
Where the 5 schools in and around Blarney are
Each school where the official list places it, shaded by who runs it and sized by pupils; squares are secondary schools, triangles special schools. The dashed shape is Blarney’s outline; schools within 3 km of it count.
Places from the Department of Education’s school lists (its own coordinates for all but a handful); map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Who Blarney’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against Co. Cork’s and Ireland’s, 2025/26
Each bar is the area’s share; the tick marks Ireland’s.
DEIS by stage: pupils at DEIS schools
| Share of pupils | Around Blarney | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 15% | 18% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 9% | 8% | 6% |
| Girls | 49% | 49% | 49% |
Around Blarney, 15% of pupils attend a school in DEIS; across Ireland it is 27%, and 18% in Co. Cork. Strawberry Hill National School, with 315 pupils, is the largest school here in DEIS.
Each of the 5 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Mhuire gan SmalPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,124 | 46% | ||
| Scoil Chroí ÍosaPrimary | 286 | 54% | ||
| Gaelscoil MhuscraíPrimary | 195 | 52% | ✓ | |
| Strawberry Hill National SchoolPrimary | 315 | 50% | ✓ | |
| Clogheen Mxd N.S.Primary | 181 | 51% |
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary): enrolments by sex and the DEIS list. Shares are of pupils, not of schools; a county’s are the schools listed with its towns.
The 3 patrons of Blarney’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
Bishop of Cloyne is patron of 2 of the 5 schools around Blarney, which teach 67% of their pupils; 3 patrons run them in all.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of CloyneScoil Mhuire gan Smal, Scoil Chroí Íosa | Catholic | 2 | 1,410 |
| Bishop of Cork & RossStrawberry Hill, Clogheen Mxd | Catholic | 2 | 496 |
| An Foras PátrúnachtaGaelscoil Mhuscraí | Catholic | 1 | 195 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Blarney
Starting primary school
Children can start primary school once they are four, and must be in school by six. Families apply to each school directly. Every school publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice; a school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its policy. Since the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, a Catholic or other majority-faith primary school can’t put baptised children first; a school of a minority faith still can, to keep its ethos.
Moving to secondary school
Children move to post-primary school at about twelve, after sixth class. Again, families apply to each school, usually a year or more ahead, and an oversubscribed school admits on its published criteria, often brothers and sisters and its feeder primary schools.
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; each school’s admission policy and notice are on its own website.
Which schools are growing
Of these 4 schools, 3 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 1 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September, 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary). No capacity is published, so how full a school is can’t be shown.
The 5 schools in and around Blarney
Every school in Blarney or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. Without school-level results from Ireland, the cards show no letters.
Inspection reports for Blarney’s schools
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate: every school’s reports linked, none rated
Reports come from whole-school evaluations (teaching, learning, leadership and management), subject inspections and follow-through visits that check earlier advice; gov.ie publishes each one with the school’s response.
Reports say what inspectors found and what should improve, without an overall grade, so none appears here; each of the 5 schools below links its own.
| School | Reports on gov.ie |
|---|---|
| Scoil Mhuire gan SmalPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Scoil Chroí ÍosaPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Gaelscoil MhuscraíPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Strawberry Hill National SchoolPrimary | Inspection reports ↗ |
| Clogheen Mxd N.S.Primary | Inspection reports ↗ |
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Blarney
Every post-primary school within 10 km of the town; families choose and apply to each, at about twelve
28 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Blarney: 20 voluntary secondary schools, 4 ETB schools, 3 community schools and one comprehensive school. 10 teach girls and boys apart: 6 girls’ and 4 boys’ schools. Fees are charged at 3 of them. Every subject is taught through Irish at 2 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Mhuire gan SmalVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 1,124 | 0.6 km |
| Coláiste ChoilmETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Irish stream | 1,357 | 5.4 km |
| Terence Mac Swiney Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 302 | 5.5 km |
| Ballincollig Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 987 | 5.8 km |
| Le Cheile Secondary School BallincolligVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 254 | 5.9 km |
| Nano Nagle CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 161 | 6.1 km |
| Mount Mercy CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 811 | 6.2 km |
| Bishopstown Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 306 | 6.5 km |
| Gaelcholáiste MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 690 | 6.5 km |
| North Monastery Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 271 | 6.6 km |
| St Vincent's Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 283 | 6.8 km |
| Coláiste an Spioraid NaoimhVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 715 | 6.8 km |
All 28 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 692 | 7 km |
| St Aidan's Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 309 | 7.2 km |
| St Aloysius SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 323 | 7.3 km |
| St. Angela's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 606 | 7.5 km |
| Christian Brothers CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | Fee-paying | 919 | 7.6 km |
| Scoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Fee-paying | 432 | 7.6 km |
| Cork Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 403 | 8 km |
| Coláiste Éamann RísVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 811 | 8.1 km |
| St Patricks CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 218 | 8.1 km |
| Coláiste DaibhéidETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste, DEIS | 151 | 8.2 km |
| Coláiste an Chroí NaofaVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 461 | 8.3 km |
| Presentation Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 190 | 8.4 km |
| Coláiste Chríost RíVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 502 | 8.6 km |
| Mayfield Community SchoolCommunity school · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 362 | 8.7 km |
| Christ King Girls' Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 700 | 9.1 km |
| Ashton SchoolComprehensive · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | – | 539 | 9.2 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Blarney
No special school is in or near Blarney. 4 of the 4 primary schools have special classes for children who need more support. Their cards ↑
Special schools and primary schools with special classes as the Department lists them; the National Council for Special Education places pupils in special classes.
Blarney beside the 88 other Irish towns of 1,900 to 3,800 people
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km, listed by population: Ireland publishes no results, so none is ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchelstown | 3,744 | 5 | 1,646 | 0 | 40% | 0.4 km |
| … | ||||||
| Sixmilebridge | 2,832 | 1 | 423 | 0 | 0% | 7.1 km |
| Edenmore | 2,831 | 71 | 20,216 | 5 | 41% | 0.9 km |
| Sunday's Well | 2,807 | 69 | 20,909 | 6 | 52% | 0.5 km |
| Kanturk | 2,803 | 3 | 1,290 | 0 | 0% | 0.4 km |
| Blarney | 2,779 | 5 | 2,101 | 1 | 20% | 0.6 km |
| Ballyhaunis | 2,773 | 2 | 1,102 | 0 | 100% | 0.7 km |
| Carndonagh | 2,768 | 7 | 1,729 | 0 | 100% | 0.1 km |
| Kilbarry | 2,758 | 30 | 12,024 | 1 | 43% | 1.9 km |
| Claddagh | 2,755 | 31 | 11,252 | 4 | 32% | 0.5 km |
| … | ||||||
| Banagher | 1,907 | 3 | 877 | 0 | 0% | 0.5 km |
Of these 88 other towns, 30 count more pupils at their schools than Blarney. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 40 of the 89.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Schools in the towns around Blarney
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blarney | 5 | 2,101 | 1 | 20% | 0.6 km |
| Tower 3.1 km | 6 | 2,638 | 1 | 17% | 3.2 km |
| Hollyhill and Ballincolly 4.9 km | 84 | 27,337 | 7 | 43% | 1.1 km |
| Knocknaheeny 5.5 km | 59 | 18,265 | 5 | 59% | 0.5 km |
| Shanakiel 5.6 km | 52 | 16,547 | 5 | 54% | 0.6 km |
| Fair Hill 5.8 km | 58 | 17,368 | 5 | 55% | 0.4 km |
| Ballincollig 6.2 km | 28 | 11,989 | 4 | 14% | 0.6 km |
Hollyhill and Ballincolly has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 7. Since 2019/20 the pupils around Blarney changed by +45%; among its neighbours, Tower’s grew most (+34%) and Fair Hill’s least (−0%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Blarney or within 3 km of its outline, as the Department places it: families here use them. Schools further out are on the map of each school’s own page.
- The kinds of school. Primary schools take children from junior infants to sixth class, about ages 4 to 12. Post-primary schools teach the Junior and Leaving Certificate, about ages 12 to 18: voluntary secondary schools (mostly with a religious patron), ETB schools and community colleges run by an Education and Training Board, and community and comprehensive schools. Special schools teach children with particular needs.
- Teaching through Irish. All-Irish: every subject taught through Irish, in the Gaeltacht or, outside it, a Gaelscoil or Gaelcholáiste. Partly in Irish: an Irish stream (some classes entirely through Irish) or some subjects through Irish. Every other school teaches Irish as a subject.
- DEIS. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) gives schools serving disadvantaged areas more teachers, money and support; the Department decides which schools are in it.
- Ethos and patron. Most Irish schools are owned by a patron, mostly a church; the patron sets the school’s ethos. Multi-denominational schools (Educate Together, many ETB schools) teach children of every faith and none together.
- No grade. Section 53 of the Education Act 1998 lets the Minister refuse to release information that would allow schools’ exam results to be compared, and no results are published school by school. So Ireland’s schools have no letters and its towns no School Grade; nothing on this page ranks them.
- What isn’t here. What the UK and French pages show from results, these can’t: results charts, results against pupils’ backgrounds and towns ranked by their schools (no published results), and how full each school is (no capacity is published). Every post-primary school teaches to the Leaving Certificate, so there is no sixth-form split to show.
- Inspections. The Inspectorate’s reports are linked from each school’s page. They give no overall grade, so none is shown.
- The year. The 2025/26 lists are the Department’s preliminary release; numbers can change a little in the final lists.
Questions about schools in Blarney
How many schools are there in Blarney?
In Blarney or within 3 km of it: 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school, with 2,101 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Blarney that teach through Irish?
Yes, 1: Gaelscoil Mhuscraí teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Blarney?
No: the secondary school here is free.
What is the best school in Blarney?
We don’t say. Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them; a ranking would rest on guesses. Each school’s page has its own facts and a link to its inspection reports, and visiting the schools you are weighing is still the best guide.
How do I get a place at a school in Blarney?
Apply to each school directly: every school publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates. If it has more applicants than places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · one school placed with OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).