Laurel Hill Coláiste

Secondary school

52°39′18″N 8°38′11″W / 52.6550°N 8.6364°W / 52.6550; -8.6364InformationFormer nameLaurel Hill ConventTypeSecondary schoolReligious affiliation(s)CatholicEstablished1840sFounderMarie Madeleine Victoire de Bonnault d'HouetGenderGirls onlyEnrollment400+ (2019)LanguageIrishWebsitelaurelhillcolaistefcj.ie

Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ (Irish: Coláiste Cnoc na Labhras), formerly known as Laurel Hill Convent, is an all-girls secondary school in Limerick, Ireland where all subjects are taught in Irish (gaelcholáiste). The school has around 400 students and has been ranked the top secondary school in Ireland for six years in a row.

History

The school was founded in the 1840s by Sisters Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) and was known as Laurel Hill Convent.^[1] In 1935 the school switched to teaching all subjects in Irish^[2]^[3] when there was a push by the government to revive the Irish language through schools.^[4]

Academic results

For six years straight, 2014–2019, The Sunday Times Best Schools Guide ranked Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ as the top secondary school in Ireland with 95.2% of its students going on to university.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Notable alumnae

Neasa Hourigan, Green Party politician^{[citation needed]}
Detta O'Cathain, Baroness O'Cathain, Irish-born British life peer^[8]
Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of The Cranberries^[2]
Kate O’Brien, writer^[8]

References

^ Ahern, Richard. "Laurel Hill: A French Foundation" (PDF). Limerick City and County Council. The Old Limerick Journal. pp. 2–4.
^ ^a ^b "Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ top Irish school for the fifth year in a row | Limerick.ie". Limerick City and County Council..
^ "Stair an Choláiste / History of the School". Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ.
^ Sheppard, Barry (2 August 2012). "The Gaelic League in the Irish Free State in the 1920s and 1930s – The Irish Story".
^ Quann, Jack (29 September 2019). "Limerick school named 'Ireland's best' for record sixth year". Newstalk.
^ "Limerick's Laurel Hill is Ireland's top school". Limerick Post. 31 August 2014.
^ "Laurel Hill Coláiste Fcj, Cnoc Na Labhras, Luimneach | The Irish Times Feeder Schools". The Irish Times.
^ ^a ^b Moroney, Paddy (1994). "Sisters mark 150th year in Limerick" (PDF). Limerick City and County Council. General News. p. 1.