# schools in D9



## speirbhean (10 Jan 2009)

Hello all, I'd love some opinions on primary schools in Dublin 9 please, or even advice on where to get this information. I've tried asking locally but could do with some more information. I'm particularly interested in Scoil Mobhi Gaelscoil - do you have to live in Glasnevin to get in there? I'd be about 10 minutes drive away, no more, but am in a different parish. The child would have Irish though - does that make a difference to the application procedure? I know there's another Gaelscoil in Whitehall but I think it has been given planning permission to move to the Oscar Traynor Road which is too far away. I'd also be interested in any opinions or knowledge you might have of the Holy Child Schools in Larkhill.
go raibh maith agaibh


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## sue_flaherty (10 Jan 2009)

I went to Corpus Christi on homefarm road which was a nice small schoold - can't say what its reputation is now as it was in the 70s that I was there.


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## justsally (10 Jan 2009)

Hi Speirbhean

From what I know it is difficult to have a child enrolled in Scoil Mobhi.    It's not necessary to live in the parish to obtain a place there.    I know of pupils who do not live within the parish or locality.   It does seem to help however, if there is a sibling there already, or if one has connections with the school through family relations having previously attended  the school    These are my observations.  I don't know whether or not having Irish would help, as many children who start in infant classes would not have Irish.    However, it certainly wouldn't militate against the child.   Having said all that, to the best of my knowledge and having attended various fund raising functions there I believe it to be a good school.

Hope this helps and good luck with your search.


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## Lulu123 (10 Jan 2009)

Regarding Scoil Mobhi, if your child has just been or yet to be born you may have a chance. I called them last year to put my 2 year old's name down and they were already booked up for that year 2011, 2012 and most of 2013.  
I know a few children who attend the school on Oscar Traynor Road (its brand new and seems to be well equipped). It seems to have a great reputation and by all means will be a consideration for us.   Also St Pats in Drumcondra and Corpus Christi are also great schools but it is essential to have the name down early unless in the Drumcondra parish.


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## guinang (11 Jan 2009)

I'm originally from Whitehall and attended Larkhill up until 1990.  It was some time ago, but it was a great school then.  My wife also attended Larkhill, and she also has very found memories of it.  It was run by sisters then - not so sure now.  The boys side was never run by brothers while I attended but could have been before that.

My sister and best friend attended scoil mobhi and my nephew attended scoil mobhi for junior and senior infants, until my sister moved to Clonee.  She thought it was great  for him and he has a really strong grasp of Irish, even though he know attends a non-irish speaking school.


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## speirbhean (11 Jan 2009)

Thanks a million for all the responses. Lots to think about there and really helpful information, thanks.


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## lionus007 (3 Apr 2009)

hi I live in Drumcondra area.Schools in drumcondra work on parish first and brothers or sisters in schools.Class sizes in Drumcondra schools are fairly high.My son was accepted in st pats Drumcondra in 2007 they have 3 classes in or around 22 per class in first they break it down to 2 classes of around 32 pupils.I took at this into account as a parent i feel this is way to high.Children do far better in schools where class sizes are small.the irish school in mobhi road has high numbers 2 as does iona road school.I think the most important thing when picking a school for your child is the pupil teacher ratio.I travel with my child into st vincents national school nth william st.there are no more than 15 children in a class with 1 teaher and 1 assistant.there are 12 in my sons class.They have so many extras in the school each class has an interactive whiteboard they school is extremely well funded.because of the small numbers in class the children get indivual attention and therefore thrive.If you have your heart set on an irish school i would check out colaiste mhuire on parnell square.class sizes are smaller than scoil mobhi its a very good school and parents travel from all over the city to attend it.My friend moved to balbriggan last year and still travels to it every day.
the boys school in st vincents goes to first class the girls school goes up to 6th.even though it english speaking school my son has great grasp of irish.as irish is widely spoken in school.I have him enrolled in colaiste mhuire parnell sq when he leaves.and will be putting his name down in holy child larkhill also.
presonally speaking i would not put him in school in drumcondra because of the high numbers.I have friends with children in the local schools here and i see the difference in what my son has learned and the attention the children get in small classes compared to my friends children.
all i know about larkhill school is that it has good reputation.schools in drumcondra charge for all the extras for example drama swimming music.in st vincents william st all you pay is 60euro every year and all the extras are free.The schools have breakfast club that starts at 8.30 if you want to drop your child to school early and they have a dinner every day.I think you should ask about the class size in in all the schools you are interested in and if it increases in first class as they many drop a class and the numbers increase.Personally speaking as a parent I think the class size issue and the policies the schools hold i.e. anti bullying are the vital things to take into account when deciding on what school you send your child.check out site below about larkhill
http://homepage.eircom.net/~holychild/Page1/BOOK.htm


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## smparent (19 Jun 2010)

Would really recommend Scoil Mobhi if you have boys and girls. Lovely atmosphere and everyone seems to know and look out for everyone. I went to St.Vincents (as my nephew did recently) and completely different approach with kids. For kids starting school, Scoil Mobhi seems to be a gentle start to their education. The setting is really nice too with a little "Coill" in the yard where the kids play a lot. There's some pics on http://www.scoilmobhi.ie.


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## foxylady (21 Jun 2010)

Holychild school is a great school, I attended there myself as did my sisters and my son also attened there and then went onto St Aidans (another good school)


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