Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte
Cork
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 273 larger than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 221 girls, 52 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 16128P the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
A Presentation school in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, Bunscoil na Toirbhirte has 273 pupils and operates under a Catholic ethos. Classes run from infants to 6th class. Preparation for First Holy Communion in 2nd class and for Confirmation in 6th class forms part of school life, and Presentation Day on 21 November is marked with a mass in the parish church shared with the other Presentation school in the town, followed by inter-class table quizzes and a night without homework. An annual céilí is held in the school hall around St Patrick's Day, with live traditional music and dancing that parents and grandparents join, and members of the local junior Comhaltas branch play at it. Sport is organised by an active schools committee and takes in Gaelic football, camogie, soccer, swimming, tennis and table tennis, along with school walks and a walking bus. Green Schools work, a student council, a parents' council and road safety instruction also feature. Parents are asked to sign a pledge against buying their child a smartphone before the end of primary school.
History
Nano Nagle, founder of the Presentation order, was born at Ballygriffin, not far from Mitchelstown. The order placed a convent in the town in June 1853, in a building put up by Dean Morgan O'Brien, the parish priest of the day. The Presentation Sisters left Mitchelstown in 2002, and the school has kept the Presentation name along with its links to the other Presentation school in the town.
Applying to Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte
For a September 2027 place, a school's formal admissions process cannot begin before 1 October 2026. The school sets its own opening and closing dates in its annual admission notice.
National term dates 2026/27
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide primary school dates apply broadly to Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte. Individual schools set their own discretionary closure days, confirm exact dates with the school.
- October Mid-Term Break: Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct 2026
- Christmas Holidays: Wed 23 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027
- February Mid-Term Break: Thu 18 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (post-primary schools: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027)
- Easter Holidays: Mon 22 Mar – Sun 4 Apr 2027
Primary schools close for the last two days of the February mid-term week and may use discretionary days to take the full week, so their break can be shorter than post-primary schools'.
Frequently asked questions about Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte
How many pupils attend Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte?
Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte has 273 pupils enrolled, 221 girls and 52 boys. That makes it larger than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte a DEIS school?
No. Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte is not part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme of additional supports for schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage. Not holding DEIS status says nothing about how good a school is, only about the profile of the community it serves.
What is the ethos of Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte?
Bunscoil Na Toirbhirte has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed primary school.