Photo: Elfy4eva · CC BY-SA 4.0Most post-primaries around Murrough take girls and boys: 20% are single-sex, below Co. Galway’s towns and Irish towns
In the comparison, Murrough comes below both Co. Galway’s towns (33%) and Irish towns (39%). In or within 3 km of Murrough, they have 7,826 pupils in all. With no school results published in Ireland, and the Education Act 1998 restricting comparisons of them, these schools are described, not 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 Murrough’s schools
A wide choice at twelve
Within 10 km of the town there are 12 post-primary schools to choose from, of different kinds; each sets its own admission policy, and many families apply to several. The nearest: Coláiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin College (1.6 km), Galway Community College (2.3 km) and Galway City & Oranmore Educate Together Secondary School (3.4 km). Post-primary choices ↓
From the Department of Education’s school lists: facts, not judgements of how well a school teaches.
Where the 22 schools in and around Murrough 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 Murrough’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 Murrough
How many schools teach through each language; the tick marks Ireland’s share.
2 of Murrough’s 22 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil Dara and Gaelscoil de hIde.
Who Murrough’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 Murrough | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 39% | 21% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 10% | 14% | 6% |
| Girls | 44% | 49% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 25% | 9% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 0% | 0% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 39% of the pupils around Murrough, a larger share than Ireland’s 27% (Co. Galway: 21%). Set beside Ireland, post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools stand out most: 0% against 6%. The largest DEIS school here is Coláiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin College, with 710 pupils.
Each of the 22 schools
| School | Pupils | Girls | DEIS | All-Irish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelscoil DaraPrimary | 419 | 53% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Caitriona SinsearPrimary | 365 | 50% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Caitriona SoisPrimary | 350 | 53% | ✓ | |
| Scoil AineSpecial | 45 | 67% | ||
| Radharc na Mara National SchoolPrimary | 353 | 46% | ✓ | |
| Rosedale SchoolSpecial | 75 | 39% | ||
| Coláiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin CollegePost-primary · ETB | 710 | 48% | ✓ | |
| Lakeview SchoolSpecial | 76 | 36% | ||
| Merlin Woods Primary SchoolPrimary | 383 | 48% | ||
| Galway Community CollegePost-primary · ETB | 395 | 47% | ✓ | |
| Gaelscoil de hIdePrimary | 399 | 48% | ✓ | |
| Calasanctius CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 906 | 45% | ||
| Scoil ÍosaPrimary | 770 | 51% | ||
| Scoil MhuirePrimary | 223 | 46% | ||
| Tirellan Heights N.S.Primary | 330 | 52% | ✓ | |
| Galway City & Oranmore Educate Together Secondary SchoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 379 | 48% | ||
| Scoil an Linbh IosaPrimary | 236 | 56% | ✓ | |
| S.N. Padraic NaofaPrimary | 214 | 39% | ||
| Parochial N.S.Primary | 75 | 56% | ||
| S.N. ColmcillePrimary | 70 | 54% | ✓ | |
| Niochlas N.S.Primary | 262 | 46% | ✓ | |
| St Joseph's CollegePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | 791 | 0% |
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 Murrough’s schools
Ethos as listed for 2025/26: each bar splits the schools by who runs them.
18 of Murrough’s 22 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora (16), Galway & Roscommon ETB (2) and CEIST (1). 9 of the 22 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 6 patrons of Murrough’s schools
Patrons own the schools and set their ethos; boards of management run them day to day.
6 patrons run the 22 schools around Murrough; the largest, Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora, has 16 of them and 58% of the pupils. 2 are ETB schools. Educate Together runs one.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & KilfenoraScoil Íosa, Gaelscoil Dara, Gaelscoil de hIde, Merlin Woods Primary School, S.N. Caitriona Sinsear, Radharc na Mara, S.N. Caitriona Sois, Tirellan Heights, Niochlas, Scoil an Linbh Iosa, Scoil Mhuire, S.N. Padraic Naofa, Lakeview School, Rosedale School, S.N. Colmcille, Scoil Aine | Catholic | 16 | 4,570 |
| Galway & Roscommon ETBColáiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin College, Galway | Multi-denominational, Inter-denominational | 2 | 1,105 |
| CEISTCalasanctius College | Catholic | 1 | 906 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustSt Joseph's College | Catholic | 1 | 791 |
| Educate TogetherGalway City & Oranmore Educate Together | Multi-denominational | 1 | 379 |
| 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 Murrough
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
Since 2019/20, 5 of these 17 schools have grown by 5% or more and 9 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 17 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 22 schools in and around Murrough
Every school in Murrough or within 3 km of its outline, each linked to its own page. Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Inspection reports for Murrough’s schools
Reports from the Department of Education’s Inspectorate, every school’s linked and none rated
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.
The reports describe what inspectors saw and what each school should do next. They give no overall grade, so none is shown here; the 22 schools below each link their own.
Department of Education Inspectorate reports on gov.ie, found by each school’s roll number.
Post-primary schools within reach of Murrough
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
12 post-primary schools are within 10 km of Murrough: 8 voluntary secondary schools and 4 ETB schools. 3 of them are single-sex, 2 for girls and 1 for boys. Just one teaches every subject through Irish.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coláiste Mhuirlinne/Merlin CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 710 | 1.6 km |
| Galway Community CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 395 | 2.3 km |
| Galway City & Oranmore Educate Together Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 379 | 3.4 km |
| St Joseph's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 791 | 3.6 km |
| Coláiste Iognáid S.J.Voluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 637 | 3.9 km |
| Coláiste Muire MáthairVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 738 | 4.2 km |
| Calasanctius CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | – | 906 | 4.7 km |
| Dominican CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 564 | 4.9 km |
| Coláiste EindeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 808 | 5.8 km |
| Jesus & Mary Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 658 | 5.8 km |
| Coláiste na CoiribeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaeltacht school | 711 | 8 km |
| Coláiste Bhaile ChláirETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,269 | 8.2 km |
Department of Education post-primary list 2025/26; straight-line distances from the town’s centre point.
Special schools and classes around Murrough
3 special schools serve the area: Scoil Aine, Rosedale School and Lakeview School, 196 pupils between them. 10 of the 14 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.
Murrough beside the 87 other Irish towns of 2,000 to 3,900 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claremorris | 3,857 | 3 | 1,120 | 0 | 0% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) | 2,945 | 6 | 1,570 | 0 | 50% | 0.5 km |
| Bantry | 2,929 | 4 | 1,227 | 1 | 0% | 0.9 km |
| Ballyjamesduff | 2,917 | 2 | 1,000 | 0 | 50% | 0.6 km |
| Boyle | 2,915 | 4 | 1,103 | 0 | 0% | 0.2 km |
| Murrough | 2,909 | 22 | 7,826 | 2 | 41% | 1.6 km |
| Skibbereen | 2,903 | 5 | 1,562 | 1 | 0% | 0.8 km |
| Carna | 2,897 | 60 | 18,688 | 4 | 58% | 0.9 km |
| Ballybrack | 2,872 | 41 | 11,728 | 1 | 29% | 0.9 km |
| Gort | 2,870 | 5 | 1,467 | 1 | 20% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Enniskerry | 2,000 | 10 | 2,487 | 0 | 20% | 2.9 km |
Of the other 87 towns, 25 have more pupils at the schools around them than Murrough. 42 of the 88 towns have an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Murrough
Each September’s pupils at every school in or within 3 km of the town, counted where the school stands today.
The schools in and around Murrough had 7,528 pupils in 2015/16 and 7,826 in 2025/26. Galway City & Oranmore Educate Together Secondary School grew most: +924% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Murrough
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 Murrough
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murrough | 22 | 7,826 | 2 | 41% | 1.6 km |
| Mervue 1.5 km | 30 | 9,041 | 4 | 37% | 0.9 km |
| Ballybane 1.5 km | 18 | 6,135 | 2 | 44% | 0.3 km |
| Eyre Square 2.2 km | 36 | 12,413 | 5 | 33% | 1.2 km |
| Castlegar 3.1 km | 32 | 9,971 | 4 | 34% | 1.3 km |
| Woodquay and Nuns Island 3.3 km | 33 | 11,452 | 5 | 33% | 0.2 km |
| Claddagh 3.7 km | 31 | 11,252 | 4 | 32% | 0.5 km |
Eyre Square has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 5. Since 2019/20 the pupils around Murrough changed by +3%; among its neighbours, Mervue’s grew most (+3%) and Woodquay and Nuns Island’s least (+1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Murrough 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 Murrough
How many schools are there in Murrough?
In Murrough or within 3 km of it: 14 primary schools, 5 secondary schools and 3 special schools, with 7,826 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Murrough that teach through Irish?
Yes, 2: Gaelscoil Dara and Gaelscoil de hIde teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Murrough?
No: all 5 secondary schools here are free.
What is the best school in Murrough?
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 Murrough?
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).