Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0In and around Claddagh, 31 schools: 20 primary schools, 8 secondary schools and 3 special schools
Every subject is taught through Irish at 13% of the schools around Claddagh, below Co. Galway’s towns (15%) but above Irish towns (8%). They have 11,252 pupils between them, in or within 3 km of Claddagh. Ireland publishes no school results, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them, so these schools are described here, never graded or ranked.
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 Claddagh’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 11 post-primary schools within 10 km of the town, of more than one kind; each admits on its own published policy, so applying to more than one is common. The nearest: Coláiste Iognáid S.J. (0.5 km), St Joseph's College (0.7 km) and Coláiste Muire Máthair (0.8 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
Where the 31 schools in and around Claddagh 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 Claddagh’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.
Teaching through Irish in and around Claddagh
Schools by the language they teach in; the black tick is Ireland’s share.
4 of Claddagh’s 31 schools teach every subject through Irish, 1 of them in the Gaeltacht: S.N. Fhursa, S.N. Iognaid and Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh.
Who Claddagh’s schools serve
The pupils at the area’s schools by share, beside Co. Galway’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 Claddagh | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 30% | 21% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 16% | 14% | 6% |
| Girls | 50% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 41% | 9% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
30% of the pupils around Claddagh are at a DEIS school, more than the 27% across Ireland (21% in Co. Galway). Furthest from Ireland’s mix is the share of post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 41% here against 29%. The biggest school in DEIS is Coláiste Einde (808 pupils).
Each of the 31 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niochlas N.S.Primary | 262 | 46% | ✓ | |
| S.N. FhursaPrimary | 216 | 54% | ✓ | |
| Coláiste Iognáid S.J.Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 637 | 46% | ||
| S.N. Padraic NaofaPrimary | 214 | 39% | ||
| St Joseph's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 791 | 0% | ||
| S.N. IognaidPrimary | 480 | 46% | ✓ | |
| Coláiste Muire MáthairPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 738 | 43% | ||
| Galway City & Oranmore Educate Together Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 379 | 48% | ||
| Scoil an Linbh IosaPrimary | 236 | 56% | ✓ | |
| Scoil Croi IosaPrimary | 122 | 49% | ✓ | |
| Parochial N.S.Primary | 75 | 56% | ||
| Scoil Náisiúnta RóisPrimary | 297 | 59% | ||
| S.N. Bride NaofaPrimary | 187 | 45% | ✓ | |
| Dominican CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 564 | 100% | ||
| Scoil IdePrimary | 244 | 84% | ||
| Scoil Naomh EindePrimary | 119 | 1% | ||
| Jesus & Mary Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 658 | 100% | ||
| Coláiste EindePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 808 | 43% | ✓ | |
| St Josephs Special SchSpecial | 80 | 26% | ||
| Galway Educate Together NSPrimary | 373 | 43% | ||
| Lakeview SchoolSpecial | 76 | 36% | ||
| Rosedale SchoolSpecial | 75 | 39% | ||
| Galway Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 395 | 47% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil Mhic AmhlaighPrimary | 643 | 53% | ✓ | |
| Tirellan Heights N.S.Primary | 330 | 52% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Caitriona SinsearPrimary | 365 | 50% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Caitriona SoisPrimary | 350 | 53% | ✓ | |
| St. John the Apostle, Knocknacarra NSPrimary | 400 | 48% | ||
| Gaelscoil DaraPrimary | 419 | 53% | ✓ | |
| Bushy Park N.S.Primary | 366 | 52% | ||
| Radharc na Mara National SchoolPrimary | 353 | 46% | ✓ |
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.
Who runs Claddagh’s schools
Who runs each school, as listed for 2025/26; the bars give the share of schools of each kind.
26 of Claddagh’s 31 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora (20), Le Chéile Schools Trust (3) and Educate Together (2). 10 of the 31 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.
The 9 patrons of Claddagh’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
Of the 31 schools around Claddagh, 20 have Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora as patron, teaching 56% of the pupils; 9 patrons in all. An Education and Training Board runs one of them. Educate Together runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & KilfenoraColáiste Einde, Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh, S.N. Iognaid, Gaelscoil Dara, St. John the Apostle, Knocknacarra NS, Bushy Park, S.N. Caitriona Sinsear, Radharc na Mara, S.N. Caitriona Sois, Tirellan Heights, Scoil Náisiúnta Róis, Niochlas, Scoil Ide, Scoil an Linbh Iosa, S.N. Padraic Naofa, S.N. Bride Naofa, Scoil Croi Iosa, Scoil Naomh Einde, Lakeview School, Rosedale School | Catholic | 20 | 6,346 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustSt Joseph's College, Jesus & Mary, Dominican College | Catholic | 3 | 2,013 |
| Educate TogetherGalway City & Oranmore Educate Together, Galway Educate Together NS | Multi-denominational | 2 | 752 |
| CEIST & Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh, KilfenoraColáiste Muire Máthair | Catholic | 1 | 738 |
| Society of Jesus (Jesuits)Coláiste Iognáid S.J. | Catholic | 1 | 637 |
| Galway & Roscommon ETBGalway | Inter-denominational | 1 | 395 |
| Minister for Education & SkillsS.N. Fhursa | Catholic | 1 | 216 |
| Ability WestSt Josephs Special Sch | Multi-denominational | 1 | 80 |
| Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry COIParochial | Church of Ireland | 1 | 75 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Claddagh
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 26 schools, 4 have grown by at least 5% since 2019/20 and 13 have lost as much; Ireland’s pupils changed by +5%.
All 26 schools
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 31 schools in and around Claddagh
Every school in Claddagh or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. No letters and no results: Ireland publishes none school by school.
Inspection reports for Claddagh’s schools
The Inspectorate’s published reports for each school, linked, without ratings
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 31 schools below links its own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Claddagh
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
11 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Claddagh: 8 voluntary secondary schools and 3 ETB schools. Of these, 3 are single-sex: 2 for girls and 1 for boys. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Iognáid S.J.Voluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 637 | 0.5 km |
| St Joseph's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 791 | 0.7 km |
| Coláiste Muire MáthairVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 738 | 0.8 km |
| Galway City & Oranmore Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 379 | 1 km |
| Dominican CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 564 | 1.3 km |
| Coláiste EindeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 808 | 2.1 km |
| Jesus & Mary Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 658 | 2.1 km |
| Galway Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 395 | 2.5 km |
| Coláiste na CoiribeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaeltacht school | 711 | 4.4 km |
| Coláiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 710 | 5.2 km |
| Calasanctius CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 906 | 8.3 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Claddagh
3 special schools serve the area: St Josephs Special Sch, Lakeview School and Rosedale School, 231 pupils between them. 11 of the 20 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.
Claddagh beside the 84 other Irish towns of 1,900 to 3,700 people
Towns of a similar size, with the schools in or within 3 km of each; ordered by population, never ranked
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cahir | 3,679 | 2 | 1,300 | 0 | 50% | 0.6 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 |
| Donegal | 2,749 | 6 | 1,791 | 1 | 0% | 0.7 km |
| Decies | 2,713 | 44 | 11,294 | 1 | 64% | 0.8 km |
| Callan | 2,678 | 2 | 1,112 | 0 | 0% | 0.5 km |
| Kilrush | 2,649 | 3 | 733 | 1 | 100% | 0.4 km |
| … | ||||||
| Banagher | 1,907 | 3 | 877 | 0 | 0% | 0.5 km |
More pupils attend the schools around 16 of the other 84 towns than around Claddagh. An all-Irish school is within 3 km of 38 of the 85.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Claddagh
Pupils every September at the schools in or within 3 km of the town, each counted at today’s site.
The schools in and around Claddagh had 11,414 pupils in 2015/16 and 11,252 in 2025/26, fewer than before. Galway City & Oranmore Educate Together Secondary School grew most: +924% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Claddagh
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.
Schools in the towns around Claddagh
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claddagh | 31 | 11,252 | 4 | 32% | 0.5 km |
| Woodquay and Nuns Island 1.2 km | 33 | 11,452 | 5 | 33% | 0.2 km |
| Salthill 1.4 km | 30 | 10,795 | 4 | 23% | 0.6 km |
| Taylor's Hill 1.5 km | 30 | 10,795 | 4 | 23% | 0.4 km |
| Eyre Square 1.6 km | 36 | 12,413 | 5 | 33% | 1.2 km |
| Newcastle 1.6 km | 31 | 11,321 | 5 | 29% | 0.9 km |
| Dangan 2.3 km | 30 | 10,789 | 5 | 23% | 1.6 km |
Woodquay and Nuns Island has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 5. Pupils around Claddagh: +2% since 2019/20. Among the neighbours, Salthill led (+5%) and Dangan trailed (+1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Claddagh 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 Claddagh
How many schools are there in Claddagh?
In Claddagh or within 3 km of it: 20 primary schools, 8 secondary schools and 3 special schools, with 11,252 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Claddagh that teach through Irish?
Yes, 4: S.N. Fhursa, S.N. Iognaid and Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Claddagh?
No: all 8 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Claddagh?
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 Claddagh?
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).