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Bóthar na hAille, Baile Brigín, Co. Átha Cliath · K32 WV18 · Roll number 68082L
Coláiste Ghlór na Mara is one of 6 post-primary schools in or within 3 km of Balbriggan. Every school in and around Balbriggan →
What stands out about Coláiste Ghlór na Mara
- 520 pupils, near the middle for post-primary schools in Ireland (the median is 585).
- Growing: 520 pupils, 63% more than the 320 of 2019/20.
- Every subject is taught through Irish.
- A voluntary secondary school: owned by its trustees, most often a religious order or its successor trust, and paid for by the State.
- Its patron is An Foras Pátrúnachta; its ethos is multi-denominational.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Coláiste Ghlór na Mara had 520 pupils in 2025/26, against 61 in 2015/16 (+752%). Girls are 48% of them. Its roll rose in 10 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for Coláiste Ghlór na Mara
Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing schools by them, so this school has no letter and nothing here ranks it. Its facts are the Department of Education’s; its inspection reports are linked below.
What the Department of Education does publish for Coláiste Ghlór na Mara is on this page: its pupils each September since 2015/16, girls and boys, its patron and ethos, whether it teaches through Irish, whether it is in DEIS, and its inspection reports.
Newspapers print lists of how many of a school’s leavers go on to college. Those count destinations, not exam results, and depend on who a school takes in; we don’t use them.
Inspection reports on Coláiste Ghlór na Mara
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate visits schools and publishes its reports. The reports describe what inspectors saw; they give no overall grade, and we don’t make one. Reports for this school on gov.ie ↗
Inspectors visit every kind of school. Whole-school evaluations look at teaching and learning, leadership and management; subject inspections look at one subject; follow-through inspections check whether earlier advice was taken. Each report is published on gov.ie with the school’s response.
Getting a place at Coláiste Ghlór na Mara
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Coláiste Ghlór na Mara directly, usually in the year before their child finishes sixth class; the school’s yearly admission notice gives the dates for applying and for its decisions.
A school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its admission policy, often brothers and sisters, the area it serves and, for post-primary schools, its feeder primaries. A family refused a place can appeal.
It teaches every subject through Irish.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Coláiste Ghlór na Mara has grown by 63% since 2019/20. All the schools around Balbriggan together changed by −1%.
Pupils since 2019/20
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; Department of Education enrolments 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary).
Side by side with the nearest post-primary schools
2025/26The nearest schools of the same kind, as the crow flies: their pupils, ethos and language. No results: none are published.
Of the 6 nearest post-primary schools, 5 have more pupils than Coláiste Ghlór na Mara. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +63%; 1 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Ghlór na Mara | 520 | +63% | Multi-denominational | All in Irish | ||
| Bremore Educate Together Secondary School | 824 | +124% | Multi-denominational | English | 0.4 km | |
| Balbriggan Community College | 686 | +33% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 1.4 km |
| Loreto Secondary School | 1,220 | −5% | Catholic | English | 1.6 km | |
| Ardgillan Community College | 1,014 | +6% | Multi-denominational | English | 2 km | |
| Franciscan College | 321 | −26% | Catholic | English | 3.5 km | |
| Skerries Community College | 1,025 | +5% | Inter-denominational | English | 6.8 km |
The other 178 post-primary schools in Co. Dublin
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lusk Community College | 1,104 | +61% | Multi-denominational | English | 9.2 km | |
| St Joseph's Secondary School | 945 | +19% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 12 km |
| Donabate Community College | 799 | +5% | Multi-denominational | English | 14 km | |
| St Finians Community College | 671 | +4% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 16 km |
| Swords Community College | 952 | +473% | Multi-denominational | English | 16 km | |
| Fingal Community College | 864 | +1% | Inter-denominational | English | 16 km | |
| Loreto College | 655 | +4% | Catholic | English | 17 km | |
| Coláiste Choilm | 421 | −23% | Catholic | English | 17 km | |
| Malahide & Portmarnock Secondary School | 696 | +939% | Multi-denominational | English | 18 km | |
| Malahide Community School | 1,250 | +3% | Inter-denominational | English | 19 km | |
| Portmarnock Community School | 955 | +3% | Inter-denominational | English | 20 km | |
| Belmayne Educate Together Secondary School | 595 | +1,883% | Multi-denominational | English | 23 km | |
| Grange Community College | 553 | +98% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 23 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Reachrann | 453 | +2% | Inter-denominational | All in Irish | 23 km | |
| Coolock Community College | 205 | +32% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 23 km |
| The Donahies Community School | 488 | +4% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| St Marys Secondary School | 230 | −16% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| Trinity Comprehensive School | 564 | +15% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| Chanel College | 451 | −21% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| Árdscoil La Salle | 289 | +74% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 24 km |
| Pobalscoil Neasáin | 831 | +7% | Inter-denominational | English | 24 km | |
| Our Lady Of Mercy College | 407 | +6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| Mercy College Coolock | 402 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| Beneavin De La Salle College | 585 | +15% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| Ellenfield Community College | 150 | +3% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| St. Aidan's C.B.S. | 725 | +1% | Catholic | English | 25 km | |
| St. Fintan's High School | 714 | +1% | Catholic | English | 25 km | |
| St Kevins College | 503 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| New Cross College | 417 | +110% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| St. David's College | 550 | +8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| St Michaels Secondary School | 646 | +4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| Coláiste Eoin | 257 | +43% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| St Marys Secondary School | 320 | +0% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| Clonturk College | 968 | +182% | Multi-denominational | English | 25 km | |
| Santa Sabina Dominican College | 754 | +13% | Catholic | English | 25 km | |
| Rath Dara Community College | 323 | +28% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 25 km |
| Manor House School | 652 | −5% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| Maryfield College | 527 | −11% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| Dominican College | 799 | +7% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| St Pauls College | 650 | +10% | Catholic | English | 26 km | |
| St Mary's Secondary School | 830 | +2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 26 km |
| Scoil Chaitriona | 523 | +11% | Catholic | All in Irish | ✓ | 26 km |
| Rosmini Community School | 139 | +16% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 26 km |
| Árdscoil Rís | 563 | +4% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Mount Temple Comprehensive School | 903 | +2% | Church of Ireland | English | 27 km | |
| Le Cheile Secondary School | 944 | +26% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Sutton Park School | 503 | +36% | Church of Ireland | English | 27 km | |
| Blakestown Community School | 563 | +31% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 27 km |
| St Vincents C.B.S. Glasnevin | 408 | +13% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 27 km |
| St Dominics College | 790 | −1% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Marino College | 297 | +21% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 27 km |
| St Josephs C.B.S. | 310 | +20% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 27 km |
| Cabra Community College | 264 | +102% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 27 km |
| Hartstown Community School | 1,120 | −1% | Inter-denominational | English | 27 km | |
| Scoil Phobail Chuil Mhin | 1,014 | −1% | Inter-denominational | English | 27 km | |
| Edmund Rice College | 912 | +576% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| St Declan's College | 651 | +0% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Holy Faith Secondary School | 647 | +0% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Coláiste Mhuire | 272 | −4% | Catholic | All in Irish | ✓ | 28 km |
| Coláiste Pobail Setanta | 1,079 | +2% | Multi-denominational | English | 28 km | |
| O'Connell School | 222 | +8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 28 km |
| Belvedere College S.J | 1,011 | +1% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| Larkin Community College | 403 | +3% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| Castleknock College | 771 | +10% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| Mount Carmel Secondary School | 386 | −4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| St Josephs Secondary School | 283 | +48% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| Hansfield ETSS | 867 | +34% | Multi-denominational | English | 29 km | |
| Castleknock Community College | 1,318 | +13% | Multi-denominational | English | 29 km | |
| Eriu Community College | 193 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 29 km | |
| St Pauls C.B.S. | 244 | +15% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| Luttrellstown Community College | 1,027 | +15% | Multi-denominational | English | 29 km | |
| Mount Sackville Secondary School | 636 | −3% | Catholic | English | 29 km | |
| Ringsend College | 191 | +1% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 29 km |
| C.B.S. Westland Row | 205 | +52% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 30 km |
| The Kings Hospital | 732 | +3% | Church of Ireland | English | 30 km | |
| St Patricks Cathedral Grammar School | 302 | +39% | Church of Ireland | English | 30 km | |
| C.B.S. James Street | 251 | +65% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 30 km |
| Loreto College | 588 | +5% | Catholic | English | 30 km | |
| Catholic University School | 544 | +7% | Catholic | English | 30 km | |
| Sandymount Park Educate Together Secondary School | 437 | +460% | Multi-denominational | English | 31 km | |
| Marian College | 319 | −8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| Presentation College | 262 | +55% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| Kylemore College | 479 | +22% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| Christian Brothers, Synge St. | 256 | −3% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| St. Seton's Secondary School | 741 | – | Other | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| Phobailscoil Iosolde | 764 | −0% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| Mercy Secondary School | 349 | +124% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| St Conleths College | 339 | +19% | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| St. Kevin's Community College | 525 | +41% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| St. Mary's College C.S.Sp., Rathmines | 500 | +17% | Catholic | English | 31 km | |
| Loreto College | 320 | −20% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 31 km |
| Coláiste Phádraig CBS | 745 | +38% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Our Lady Of Mercy Secondary School | 289 | −6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 32 km |
| Clogher Road Community College | 297 | +46% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 32 km |
| St Joseph's College | 934 | +6% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Muckross Park College | 709 | +0% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Sandford Park School Ltd | 437 | +8% | Inter-denominational | English | 32 km | |
| Harolds Cross Educate Together Secondary School | 437 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 32 km | |
| St Michaels College | 731 | +10% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| St Louis High School | 690 | +2% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Collinstown Park Community College | 630 | +11% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 32 km |
| Coláiste Cois Life | 592 | −27% | Multi-denominational | All in Irish | 32 km | |
| Gonzaga College | 576 | +4% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| The Teresian School | 230 | +16% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| Meanscoil Iognáid Rís | 521 | −10% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Assumption Secondary School | 270 | +8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Rosary College | 250 | +35% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Lucan Community College | 966 | +5% | Multi-denominational | English | 33 km | |
| Alexandra College | 664 | +13% | Church of Ireland | English | 33 km | |
| Presentation Community College | 443 | +26% | Catholic | English | 33 km | |
| Stratford College | 189 | +28% | Jewish | English | 33 km | |
| Kishoge Community College | 937 | +12% | Multi-denominational | English | 33 km | |
| Griffeen Community College | 576 | +317% | Multi-denominational | English | 33 km | |
| Willow Park School | 206 | −0% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| St Andrews College | 1,011 | +2% | Presbyterian | English | 34 km | |
| St Kilian's Deutsche Schule | 475 | +18% | Inter-denominational | English | 34 km | |
| Blackrock College | 1,041 | +2% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| The High School | 811 | +11% | Church of Ireland | English | 34 km | |
| Coláiste Eoin | 517 | +4% | Catholic | All in Irish | 34 km | |
| Coláiste Íosagáin | 488 | +1% | Catholic | All in Irish | 34 km | |
| Dominican College | 521 | +19% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| Coláiste Chilliain | 400 | −4% | Multi-denominational | All in Irish | 34 km | |
| Our Lady's Grove Secondary School | 295 | −3% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| Terenure College | 800 | +16% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| Moyle Park College | 763 | +3% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| St Pauls Secondary School | 466 | +4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 34 km |
| Templeogue College | 637 | −6% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| Coláiste Bríde | 993 | +4% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| Greenhills College | 186 | +36% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 34 km |
| Deansrath Community College | 425 | +43% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 34 km |
| Adamstown Community College | 981 | +8% | Multi-denominational | English | 34 km | |
| Our Ladys School | 799 | +5% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| De La Salle College | 463 | +45% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| Goatstown Educate Together Secondary School | 366 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 35 km | |
| Mount Anville Secondary School | 726 | +4% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| Oatlands College | 623 | +14% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| Kingswood Community College | 1,006 | +93% | Multi-denominational | English | 35 km | |
| Coláiste de hÍde | 266 | −11% | Multi-denominational | All in Irish | ✓ | 35 km |
| Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh | 296 | +13% | Multi-denominational | All in Irish | 35 km | |
| St Mac Dara's Community College | 915 | +7% | Inter-denominational | English | 35 km | |
| Loreto High School | 625 | −5% | Catholic | English | 35 km | |
| Newpark Comprehensive School | 884 | +3% | Church of Ireland | English | 35 km | |
| Christian Brothers College | 549 | +7% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Rockford Manor Secondary School | 273 | −1% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Tallaght Community School | 840 | +10% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 36 km |
| St Benildus College | 949 | +18% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| St Raphaela's Secondary School | 637 | +12% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Coláiste Éanna | 618 | +3% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| St. Tiernan's Community School | 368 | +7% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 36 km |
| Ballinteer Community School | 415 | +2% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 36 km |
| Sancta Maria College | 577 | +5% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Wesley College | 942 | +2% | Methodist | English | 37 km | |
| St Marks Community School | 931 | +12% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 37 km |
| Loreto Abbey Secondary School | 757 | +16% | Catholic | English | 37 km | |
| Holy Child Community School | 275 | +12% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 37 km |
| Rathdown School | 364 | +38% | Church of Ireland | English | 37 km | |
| St. Colmcille's Community School | 727 | −0% | Inter-denominational | English | 37 km | |
| Loreto College Foxrock | 660 | +27% | Catholic | English | 37 km | |
| Old Bawn Community School | 1,024 | +12% | Inter-denominational | English | 38 km | |
| Clonkeen College | 635 | +10% | Catholic | English | 38 km | |
| St Joseph Of Cluny Secondary School | 270 | +7% | Catholic | English | 38 km | |
| Firhouse Community College | 825 | +2% | Inter-denominational | English | 38 km | |
| St Columba's College | 357 | +7% | Church of Ireland | English | 38 km | |
| St Aidan's Community School | 561 | +28% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 38 km |
| Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School | 741 | +246% | Multi-denominational | English | 39 km | |
| Cabinteely Community School | 512 | +12% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 39 km |
| Rosemont School | 307 | +69% | Catholic | English | 39 km | |
| Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School | 411 | +407% | Multi-denominational | English | 39 km | |
| Rockbrook Park School | 186 | +14% | Catholic | English | 39 km | |
| Mount Seskin Community College | 350 | +8% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 39 km |
| Killinarden Community School | 471 | −3% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 39 km |
| Coláiste pobail Fóla | 758 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 39 km | |
| St Laurence College | 302 | +17% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 40 km |
| Holy Child Killiney | 382 | +9% | Catholic | English | 40 km | |
| Blackrock Educate Together Secondary School | 236 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 40 km | |
| Holy Family Community School | 998 | +4% | Inter-denominational | English | 41 km | |
| John Scottus Secondary School | 211 | +77% | Inter-denominational | English | 44 km | |
| Woodbrook College | 623 | +51% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 44 km |
Living in Balbriggan
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the K32 Eircode area
Housing in Balbriggan →The median sale price rose from €273,000 in 2023 to €360,000 in 2025 (+32%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the K32 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Balbriggan
Cost of living in Balbriggan →New tenancies in Balbriggan averaged €1,703 a month in 2025, against €1,614 in 2024 (+6%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗














Balbriggan, K32 WV18
Post-primary schools near Coláiste Ghlór na Mara
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Coláiste Ghlór na Mara
Is Coláiste Ghlór na Mara a good school?
We don’t grade it: Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them. Its inspection reports on gov.ie, a visit and a talk with the principal will tell you more than any table could.
How many pupils does Coláiste Ghlór na Mara have?
520 pupils in 2025/26. That is +63% since 2019/20.
Does Coláiste Ghlór na Mara teach through Irish?
Yes: every subject at Coláiste Ghlór na Mara is taught through Irish.
Who runs Coláiste Ghlór na Mara?
Coláiste Ghlór na Mara has a multi-denominational ethos. Its patron is An Foras Pátrúnachta.
How do pupils get a place at Coláiste Ghlór na Mara?
Apply to the school directly. It publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates; if more children apply than it has places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Which schools of the same kind are near Coláiste Ghlór na Mara?
The nearest are Bremore Educate Together Secondary School (0.4 km), Balbriggan Community College (1.4 km) and Loreto Secondary School (1.6 km).
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · inspection reports on gov.ie, linked by roll number. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Facts from the Department of Education’s school lists. Listed with Balbriggan; nothing here rates the school.
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).