Desmond College
Station Road, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick · V42 DK84 · Roll number 71790J
Desmond College is one of 2 post-primary schools in or within 3 km of Newcastle West. Every school in and around Newcastle West →
What stands out about Desmond College
- 539 pupils, near the middle for post-primary schools in Ireland (the median is 585).
- Growing: 539 pupils, 38% more than the 392 of 2019/20.
- Some classes are taught entirely through Irish, the rest in English.
- In 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.
- An ETB school: run by the county’s Education and Training Board.
- Its patron is the Limerick & Clare ETB; its ethos is multi-denominational.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Desmond College had 539 pupils in 2025/26, against 418 in 2015/16 (+29%). Girls are 47% of them. Its roll rose in 8 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for Desmond College
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 Desmond College 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 Desmond College
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 Desmond College
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Desmond College 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 is in DEIS, so it has extra support for pupils from disadvantaged areas.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Desmond College has grown by 38% since 2019/20. All the schools around Newcastle West together changed by +9%.
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, 4 have more pupils than Desmond College. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +38%; 0 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desmond College | 539 | +38% | Multi-denominational | Irish stream | ✓ | |
| Scoil Mhuire & Íde | 754 | +6% | Catholic | English | 1.2 km | |
| Colaiste na Trocaire (Mercy Community College) | 537 | +9% | Inter-denominational | English | 11 km | |
| Hazelwood College | 562 | −1% | Multi-denominational | English | 16 km | |
| Colaiste Mhuire | 269 | −32% | Inter-denominational | English | 17 km | |
| Coláiste Íde agus Iosaef | 669 | −1% | Multi-denominational | English | 18 km | |
| Colaiste Chiarain | 821 | +21% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 24 km |
The other 21 post-primary schools in Co. Limerick
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salesian Secondary College | 746 | +5% | Catholic | English | 25 km | |
| Mungret Community College | 991 | +175% | Multi-denominational | English | 31 km | |
| Coláiste Iósaef | 505 | +31% | Inter-denominational | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Crescent College Comprehensive | 922 | +5% | Inter-denominational | English | 34 km | |
| Villiers Secondary School | 508 | −5% | Church of Ireland | English | 35 km | |
| Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ | 746 | +19% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ | 315 | −23% | Catholic | All in Irish | 36 km | |
| St Clements College | 411 | −19% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 36 km |
| Ardscoil Ris | 728 | −3% | Catholic | English | 36 km | |
| Thomond Community College | 597 | +13% | Multi-denominational | English | ✓ | 37 km |
| Colaiste Mhichil | 349 | +6% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 37 km |
| Coláiste Nano Nagle | 365 | +13% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 37 km |
| Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh | 606 | −7% | Inter-denominational | All in Irish | 38 km | |
| Ardscoil Mhuire | 591 | +4% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 38 km |
| St Munchin's College | 682 | +4% | Catholic | English | 39 km | |
| Limerick City East Secondary School | 811 | +587% | Multi-denominational | English | 39 km | |
| Scoil Pól | 715 | +40% | Catholic | English | 41 km | |
| Castletroy College | 1,360 | +13% | Inter-denominational | English | 42 km | |
| John The Baptist Community School | 960 | −12% | Inter-denominational | English | 42 km | |
| Glenstal Abbey School | 203 | −11% | Catholic | English | 50 km | |
| Scoil na Tríonóide Naofa | 518 | −19% | Catholic | English | 57 km |
Living in Newcastle West
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the V42 Eircode area
Housing in Newcastle West →The median sale price rose from €199,500 in 2023 to €242,500 in 2025 (+22%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the V42 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Newcastle West
Cost of living in Newcastle West →New tenancies in Newcastle West averaged €1,065 a month in 2025, against €976 in 2024 (+9%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Newcastle West, V42 DK84
Post-primary schools near Desmond College
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Desmond College
Is Desmond College 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 Desmond College have?
539 pupils in 2025/26. That is +38% since 2019/20.
Does Desmond College teach through Irish?
In part: some classes are taught entirely through Irish, the rest in English.
Who runs Desmond College?
Desmond College has a multi-denominational ethos. Its patron is Limerick & Clare ETB.
How do pupils get a place at Desmond College?
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 Desmond College?
The nearest are Scoil Mhuire & Íde (1.2 km), Colaiste na Trocaire (Mercy Community College) (11 km) and Hazelwood College (16 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 Newcastle West; 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).