Photo: LukeG 1001 · CC BY-SA 3.0One of the secondary schools around Dooradoyle charges fees: Villiers Secondary School
Of the post-primaries around Dooradoyle, 56% are single-sex, close to Co. Limerick’s towns (54%) and above Irish towns (39%). 5 of its 9 secondary schools take only boys or only girls. Nothing here grades or ranks these schools: Ireland publishes no results school by school, and the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them.
Every school in the town or within 3 km of its outline, from the Department of Education’s lists for 2025/26; Ireland’s figures are every school in the lists.
What stands out about Dooradoyle’s schools
One fee-paying secondary school
One secondary school within reach charges fees; the others are free. The fee-paying one: Villiers Secondary School (508). Every school ↓
Mostly single-sex at secondary
Most secondary schools here take only boys or only girls; the mixed ones are marked on the cards below. Single-sex: Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ (746), Ardscoil Ris (728), St Clements College (411), Colaiste Mhichil (349) and Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ (315). Every school ↓
A wide choice at twelve
Families here can choose among 15 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: Crescent College Comprehensive (1 km), Mungret Community College (2.3 km) and Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ (2.8 km). Post-primary choices ↓
Drawn from the Department of Education’s lists; none of it judges how well a school teaches.
The 42 schools in and around Dooradoyle
Each school in or within 3 km of Dooradoyle links to a page of its own. Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Show all 25 primary schools
Where the 42 schools in and around Dooradoyle 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 Dooradoyle’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 Dooradoyle
The schools by teaching language, with Ireland’s share as the black tick.
5 of Dooradoyle’s 42 schools teach every subject through Irish: Gaelscoil an Raithin, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ and An Mhodh Scoil.
Who Dooradoyle’s schools serve
How the area’s pupils divide, against Co. Limerick’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 Dooradoyle | Co. Limerick | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at DEIS schools | 29% | 25% | 27% |
| Pupils at all-Irish schools | 13% | 7% | 6% |
| Girls | 47% | 48% | 49% |
| Post-primary pupils at single-sex schools | 48% | 23% | 29% |
| Post-primary pupils at fee-paying schools | 10% | 4% | 6% |
DEIS schools teach 29% of the pupils around Dooradoyle, much as across Ireland (27%; Co. Limerick: 25%). The biggest difference from Ireland is in post-primary pupils at single-sex schools: 48% here, 29% there. Of the DEIS schools here, St Brigids N.S. is the biggest: 457 pupils.
Each of the 42 schools
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 Dooradoyle’s schools
Each school’s ethos, 2025/26: the bars show the share of schools of each kind.
32 of Dooradoyle’s 42 schools have a Catholic ethos, against 80% across Ireland. The patrons with most schools here: Bishop of Limerick (24), Health Service Executive (2) and Limerick & Clare ETB (2). 15 of the 42 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 14 patrons of Dooradoyle’s schools
The patron owns the school and sets its ethos; a board of management runs it day to day.
The schools around Dooradoyle answer to 14 patrons, and Bishop of Limerick leads with 24 of the 42 schools and 48% of their pupils. The local Education and Training Board runs 2. Educate Together runs 2.
| Patron | Ethos | Schools | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop of LimerickScoil Neassain, Scoil Phoil Naofa, St Brigids, Gaelscoil an Raithin, Gaelscoil Sairseal, Scoil Mathair de, Salesian Primary School, Our Lady Queen of Peace School, Presentation Primary School, Catherine Mc Auley Sp S, Scoil Chriost Ri B, Scoil an Spioraid Naomh, S N Muire na hEireann, St Johns Convent, Scoil Iosagain, J F K Memorial School, Le Chéile, Our Lady of Lourdes, Donoughmore, St Michaels, Gaelscoil Sheoirse, St John the Baptist Boys, Mid West School for the Deaf, St Augustines Spec Sch | Catholic | 24 | 6,352 |
| Edmund Rice Schools TrustArdscoil Ris, Colaiste Mhichil | Catholic | 2 | 1,077 |
| Le Chéile Schools TrustLaurel Hill Secondary School FCJ, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ | Catholic | 2 | 1,061 |
| Limerick & Clare ETBMungret, Limerick Community Special School | Multi-denominational | 2 | 1,038 |
| Educate TogetherLimerick City East Educate Together NS, Limerick School Project | Multi-denominational | 2 | 576 |
| Health Service ExecutiveThe Childrens Ark, St Canices Special School | Multi-denominational, Catholic | 2 | 51 |
| Minister for EducationCrescent College Comprehensive | Inter-denominational | 1 | 922 |
| Minister for Education & SkillsAn Mhodh Scoil | Catholic | 1 | 578 |
| Board of Governors of Villiers Secondary SchoolVilliers | Church of Ireland | 1 | 508 |
| Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorist Fathers)St Clements College | Catholic | 1 | 411 |
| CEISTColáiste Nano Nagle | Catholic | 1 | 365 |
| Bishop of Limerick, Killaloe & Ardfert COISt Michaels | Church of Ireland | 1 | 116 |
| St Gabriel's School and CentreSt Gabriels School | Multi-denominational | 1 | 64 |
| The Rehab GroupRed Hill School | Other | 1 | 61 |
Department of Education school lists: patron 2024/25, ethos 2025/26.
How children get a place in Dooradoyle
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. The fee-paying school here sets its own fees and admissions.
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, 10 of these 34 schools have grown by 5% or more and 16 have shrunk as much; across Ireland the number of pupils changed by +5%.
All 34 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.
Inspection reports for Dooradoyle’s schools
The Inspectorate’s published reports for each school, linked, without ratings
Each school is visited by inspectors from time to time, for a whole-school evaluation of teaching, learning and leadership, for one subject, or to follow up earlier advice, and every report is posted 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 42 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 Dooradoyle
All post-primaries within 10 km; at about twelve, families choose and apply school by school
Families in Dooradoyle have 15 post-primary schools within 10 km: 10 voluntary secondary schools, 4 ETB schools and one comprehensive school. 7 of them are single-sex, 3 for girls and 4 for boys. One of them charges fees. Every subject is taught through Irish at 2 of them.
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent College ComprehensiveComprehensive · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 922 | 1 km |
| Mungret Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 991 | 2.3 km |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | – | 746 | 2.8 km |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | Gaelcholáiste | 315 | 2.9 km |
| St Clements CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 411 | 2.9 km |
| Villiers Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Church of Ireland | Girls and boys | Fee-paying, Boarding | 508 | 3.5 km |
| Colaiste MhichilVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | DEIS | 349 | 3.8 km |
| Coláiste Nano NagleVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls and boys | DEIS | 365 | 3.8 km |
| Ardscoil RisVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 728 | 3.9 km |
| Gaelcholáiste LuimnighETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | Gaelcholáiste | 606 | 4.8 km |
| Ardscoil MhuireVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Girls | DEIS | 591 | 5 km |
| Thomond Community CollegeETB · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | DEIS | 597 | 5.3 km |
All 15 post-primary schools within reach
| School | Takes | Also | Pupils | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limerick City East Secondary SchoolVoluntary secondary · Multi-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 811 | 5.7 km |
| St Munchin's CollegeVoluntary secondary · Catholic | Boys | – | 682 | 6.2 km |
| Castletroy CollegeETB · Inter-denominational | Girls and boys | – | 1,360 | 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 Dooradoyle
8 special schools serve the area: St Gabriels School, The Childrens Ark, Limerick Community Special School, Red Hill School, Mid West School for the Deaf, Catherine Mc Auley Sp S, St Canices Special School and St Augustines Spec Sch, 569 pupils between them. 15 of the 25 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.
Dooradoyle beside the 74 other Irish towns of 13,000 to 25,100 people
Schools in or within 3 km of each town, by population; none is ranked, as Ireland publishes no results
| Town | People | Schools | Pupils | All-Irish | DEIS schools | Nearest post-primary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanchardstown | 24,613 | 91 | 36,302 | 5 | 44% | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||||
| Old Bawn | 18,758 | 73 | 26,840 | 5 | 43% | 0.7 km |
| Stoneybatter | 18,644 | 142 | 37,206 | 11 | 53% | 0.1 km |
| Clontarf East | 18,626 | 117 | 32,925 | 5 | 44% | 0.6 km |
| Malahide | 18,608 | 24 | 12,134 | 1 | 8% | 1.1 km |
| Dooradoyle | 18,593 | 42 | 13,180 | 5 | 36% | 1 km |
| The Liberties | 18,460 | 129 | 33,405 | 9 | 53% | 0.3 km |
| Knocknacarra | 18,398 | 29 | 10,407 | 5 | 17% | 0.9 km |
| Clonmel | 18,369 | 13 | 4,235 | 1 | 23% | 0.4 km |
| Carrigaline | 18,239 | 12 | 4,439 | 2 | 8% | 0.5 km |
| … | ||||||
| Castlebar | 13,054 | 12 | 4,272 | 1 | 17% | 0.3 km |
Among the 74 other towns, 47 have more pupils at their schools than Dooradoyle does. Every one of them has an all-Irish school within 3 km.
Department of Education school lists 2025/26 (preliminary); CSO Census 2022 populations.
Pupil numbers around Dooradoyle
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 Dooradoyle had 12,179 pupils in 2015/16 and 13,180 in 2025/26. Mungret Community College grew most: +175% since 2019/20.
Pupils at schools in and around Dooradoyle
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 Dooradoyle
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dooradoyle | 42 | 13,180 | 5 | 36% | 1 km |
| Ballinacurra 2.1 km | 48 | 15,810 | 6 | 46% | 0.8 km |
| Rathbane 3.1 km | 52 | 19,628 | 7 | 33% | 1.5 km |
| Prospect and Newtown Pery 3.1 km | 46 | 15,489 | 5 | 48% | 0.7 km |
| Dock 3.2 km | 45 | 15,206 | 5 | 49% | 0.3 km |
| Limerick City Centre 3.9 km | 43 | 14,494 | 5 | 51% | 0.4 km |
| Galvone 3.9 km | 48 | 16,815 | 5 | 46% | 0.6 km |
Rathbane has the most schools teaching through Irish nearby: 7. The roll around Dooradoyle moved +4% since 2019/20; nearby, Rathbane grew most (+7%) and Limerick City Centre least (−1%).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school in Dooradoyle 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 Dooradoyle
How many schools are there in Dooradoyle?
In Dooradoyle or within 3 km of it: 25 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 8 special schools, with 13,180 pupils between them.
Are there schools in Dooradoyle that teach through Irish?
Yes, 5: Gaelscoil an Raithin, Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ and An Mhodh Scoil teach every subject through Irish.
Are there fee-paying secondary schools near Dooradoyle?
1 of the 9: Villiers Secondary School. The others are free.
What is the best school in Dooradoyle?
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 Dooradoyle?
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).