Scoil Mhuire BNS
Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan · A75 PC94 · Roll number 17686I
Scoil Mhuire BNS is one of 6 primary schools in or within 3 km of Castleblayney. Every school in and around Castleblayney →
What stands out about Scoil Mhuire BNS
- 183 pupils, near the middle for primary schools in Ireland (the median is 131).
- About as many pupils as in 2019/20 (+8%).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- 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.
- A boys’ school.
- Has special classes for children who need more support.
- Its patron is the Bishop of Clogher; its ethos is Catholic.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26Scoil Mhuire BNS had 183 pupils in 2025/26, against 157 in 2015/16 (+17%). Its largest roll was 188, in 2024/25. 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 Scoil Mhuire BNS
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 Scoil Mhuire BNS 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 Scoil Mhuire BNS
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 Scoil Mhuire BNS
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Families apply to Scoil Mhuire BNS directly. Children can start once they are four and must be in school by six; 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 takes boys only. It is in DEIS, so it has extra support for pupils from disadvantaged areas. Places in special classes and special schools are allocated with the National Council for Special Education.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: Scoil Mhuire BNS has grown by 8% since 2019/20. All the schools around Castleblayney together changed by +25%.
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 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 primary schools, 1 have more pupils than Scoil Mhuire BNS. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +8%; 4 of the 6 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Mhuire BNS | 183 | +8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | |
| Castleblayney Convent National School | 155 | +11% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 0.6 km |
| Castleblayney Convent Infants National School | 197 | +9% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 0.6 km |
| Gaelscoil Lorgan | 159 | +9% | Inter-denominational | All in Irish | 1.1 km | |
| Castleblayney Cent N.S. | 10 | −50% | Presbyterian | English | 2 km | |
| Annalitten N.S. | 37 | +54% | Catholic | English | 4.1 km | |
| Scoil Naomh Padraig | 87 | +7% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 4.1 km |
The other 55 primary schools in Co. Monaghan
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Brigid's National School Aughnafarcon | 37 | −24% | Catholic | English | 5.6 km | |
| Annyalla National School | 195 | −5% | Catholic | English | 6 km | |
| Doohamlet N.S. | 134 | +5% | Catholic | English | 6.5 km | |
| St Patricks N.S. | 140 | +8% | Catholic | English | 6.7 km | |
| Naomh Oliver Plunkett | 255 | +4% | Catholic | Some subjects in Irish | 8.4 km | |
| Lisdoonan N.S. | 150 | +3% | Catholic | English | 9.7 km | |
| Ballybay Central N.S. | 66 | +27% | Presbyterian | English | ✓ | 11 km |
| Scoil Éanna | 228 | +2% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 11 km |
| Clontibret N.S. | 23 | −41% | Church of Ireland | English | 12 km | |
| Naomh Micheal | 108 | +42% | Catholic | English | 12 km | |
| S.N. Cholmcille | 103 | +29% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 12 km |
| Scoil Phadraig | 142 | −5% | Catholic | English | 13 km | |
| Scoil Naomh Mhuire | 202 | +17% | Catholic | English | 14 km | |
| Latton | 161 | −11% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| Scoil Rois | 260 | +6% | Catholic | All in Irish | 15 km | |
| Bunscoil Louis Naofa | 258 | −7% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| Scoil Mhichil | 60 | +94% | Catholic | English | 15 km | |
| St Joseph's National School | 234 | −17% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| Corcreagh N.S. | 34 | −11% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| Scoil Naomh Deagha | 286 | +22% | Catholic | English | 16 km | |
| Drumacruttin N.S. | 15 | −52% | Church of Ireland | English | 16 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 76 | −5% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 18 km |
| Scoil Naoimh Eanna | 203 | −6% | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| Rockcorry N.S. | 34 | +21% | Church of Ireland | English | 18 km | |
| Drumgossatt N.S. | 75 | −18% | Catholic | English | 18 km | |
| Corcaghan N.S. | 92 | +42% | Catholic | English | 19 km | |
| Scoil Phadraig | 23 | −12% | Catholic | English | 19 km | |
| S.N. Blaithin Iosa | 27 | −34% | Catholic | English | 19 km | |
| Scoil Bhrighde | 75 | +7% | Catholic | English | 21 km | |
| St. Louis Girls National School | 202 | −12% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| St Louis Infant School | 208 | −12% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| St Marys BNS | 229 | −17% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 21 km |
| Gaelscoil Ultain | 373 | −5% | Catholic | All in Irish | 22 km | |
| Scoil Bride | 106 | −29% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Monaghan Model School | 199 | +26% | Church of Ireland | English | 22 km | |
| Latnamard N.S. | 85 | −9% | Catholic | English | 22 km | |
| Threemilehouse N.S. | 141 | +5% | Catholic | English | 23 km | |
| The Billis National School | 16 | −57% | Church of Ireland | English | 24 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 86 | +1% | Catholic | English | 24 km | |
| Drumcorrin N.S. | 20 | +0% | Presbyterian | English | 26 km | |
| Corr A Chrainn National School | 202 | −4% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Scoil Mhuire | 99 | −8% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Killeevan Central N.S. | 101 | +11% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| St Dympnas N.S. | 124 | +46% | Catholic | English | 27 km | |
| Urbleshanny N.S. | 296 | +2% | Catholic | English | 28 km | |
| Edenmore N.S. | 159 | +2% | Catholic | Some subjects in Irish | 29 km | |
| Mhuire Gransla | 77 | +17% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 30 km |
| Knockconnon N.S. | 118 | −1% | Catholic | English | 32 km | |
| Deravoy National School | 71 | +8% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| St Tiarnach's Primary School | 217 | −17% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 33 km |
| Gaelscoil Éois | 126 | +11% | Catholic | All in Irish | ✓ | 33 km |
| Scoil Enda | 69 | +35% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| St Josephs N.S. | 60 | +62% | Catholic | English | 34 km | |
| St Patricks N.S. | 33 | +10% | Catholic | English | ✓ | 37 km |
| S.N. Comhghall | 17 | −45% | Catholic | English | 38 km |
Living in Castleblayney
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the A75 Eircode area
Housing in Castleblayney →The median sale price rose from €200,000 in 2023 to €265,000 in 2025 (+33%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the A75 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Castleblayney
Cost of living in Castleblayney →New tenancies in Castleblayney averaged €1,064 a month in 2025, against €957 in 2024 (+11%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Castleblayney, A75 PC94
Primary schools near Scoil Mhuire BNS
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about Scoil Mhuire BNS
Is Scoil Mhuire BNS 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 Scoil Mhuire BNS have?
183 pupils in 2025/26. That is +8% since 2019/20.
Does Scoil Mhuire BNS teach through Irish?
No: Scoil Mhuire BNS teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs Scoil Mhuire BNS?
Scoil Mhuire BNS has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Bishop of Clogher.
How do pupils get a place at Scoil Mhuire BNS?
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 Scoil Mhuire BNS?
The nearest are Castleblayney Convent National School (0.6 km), Castleblayney Convent Infants National School (0.6 km) and Gaelscoil Lorgan (1.1 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 Castleblayney; 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).