Boarding in Ireland

Ireland performs consistently highly in the global educational rankings and offers a wide and diverse range of activities, history and culture. Rathdown School is a boarding school in Glenageary, Co Dublin, set on a hill overlooking the sea at Dún Laoghaire, with inland views of the Wicklow Mountains. It is within easy reach of Dublin city, the surrounding counties and Dublin airport. Boarders come from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities with pupils travelling from around Ireland and from abroad. This variety of nationalities promotes an awareness of cultural diversity, fostering mutual understanding and respect for the individuality of others. At Rathdown, significant emphasis is placed on pastoral care and student wellbeing, as we know happy and contended students engage and perform better. We offer a friendly and caring home-from-home environment at the heart of the Rathdown community.

Activities And Trips

There is a fantastic range of activities and trips on offer across Ireland, including seaside and hill walks, the beautiful Irish beaches and mountains, bike riding in Phoenix Park and a boat trip in Dublin Bay. Various traditional festivities are celebrated in Ireland including St Patrick’s Day, Christmas and Halloween. Boarders also have an opportunity to discover Irish culture and history on day trips to places such as Trinity College, Dublin, Titanic Belfast or longer tours of Ireland’s most scenic regions like Achill Island and Connemara. There are many sports choices in Ireland including hockey, tennis, football, gaelic football, basketball, sailing and cricket, all of which are played by our boarding and day pupils both in the week and at weekends.

Exam Structure In Ireland

In Ireland, children need to have reached 12 years of age by the May of the year of entry into the first year. Second-level education consists of a three-year junior cycle followed by a three-year senior cycle including a transition year. The junior cycle culminates in state examinations similar to GCSEs at the end of the third year. Transition year takes place in the fourth year. It allows pupils to study their core subjects as well as a experiencing a wide range of educational activities with a focus on group project work, volunteering, cultural trips, projects, life skills and work experience. Pupils are also given a taster of the complete range of subjects on offer to them for senior cycle. Fourth- and sixth-year pupils take subjects at Higher or Ordinary level. This is a two-year syllabus, culminating in the leaving certificate, similar to A levels. The six best grades are counted as points for entry into Irish universities or converted for UCAS or other international university entrance requirements.

Brian Moore has been Head of School and Senior School Principal at Rathdown School since 2016. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, where he was awarded an MSc in Educational Leadership and Management. An avid sportsman, Brian represented Leinster and Ireland at schoolboy level in cricket and has enjoyed a lifetime of playing and coaching rugby. Informed by his involvement in sport, Brian understands the importance of sport, music and the arts and involvement in co-curricular activities for teenagers.