Coláiste Choilm
Cork
Key facts
- Some Irish-medium
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 1,357 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 683 girls, 674 boys
- Ethos
- Inter Denominational
- Teaching through Irish
- Some pupils taught all subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 71103K the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
About
Ballincollig, Co. Cork is the setting for Coláiste Choilm, a co-educational inter-denominational post-primary school under Cork ETB with an enrolment of roughly 1,357 students. It operates as a designated community college, a model developed by Cork ETB with the Diocese of Cork and Ross. Gaelcholáiste Choilm forms part of the school, teaching students through Irish. There is no selective entry policy. Junior Cycle students take Gaeilge, English, Maths, History, Geography, German and Religious Education as core subjects, with wellbeing covering PE, SPHE, CSPE and IT, and three options chosen from Science, French, Business Studies, Art Craft and Design, Home Economics, Technical Graphics, Materials Technology Wood, Engineering and Music. Transition Year and senior classes run above that, and a German exchange trip to Munich took place in March. On site are a concert hall known as the Cultúrlann, a sports hall called the Spórtlann, and a performance area named Halla Phádraig. The school states its vision as creating the context in which growth happens for each person in the school, and it makes its facilities available to local clubs and organisations.
History
The school opened to its first students in September 1987, built on a site the Department of Education had purchased to serve the growing Ballincollig catchment, and placed under Cork County VEC, now Cork ETB. Capacity was 400 pupils, a figure already exceeded by 1990. In that year the Board of Management agreed to establish Gaelcholáiste Choilm, which enrolled 19 students and was housed in a four-room extension; its 220 students moved into a building of their own in 2003. A larger extension in 1995, bigger than the original school, raised capacity to 850 and added specialist rooms and the Cultúrlann concert hall. The Parents Association worked with the Ballincollig Sports Alliance on the Spórtlann sports hall, completed in 2004, took on a pitch surfacing project in 2007, and funded Halla Phádraig in 2012, named for the principal who served from 1987 to 2012.
Applying to Coláiste Choilm
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 post-primary school dates apply broadly to Coláiste Choilm. 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: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (primary schools: Thu 18 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 Coláiste Choilm
How many pupils attend Coláiste Choilm?
Coláiste Choilm has 1,357 pupils enrolled, 683 girls and 674 boys. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is Coláiste Choilm a DEIS school?
No. Coláiste Choilm 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.
Does Coláiste Choilm teach through Irish?
Partly. Coláiste Choilm teaches some subjects through Irish.