Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride
Ballyragget, Kilkenny
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 96 smaller than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 46 girls, 50 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 00788V the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Scoil Bhríde N.S. is a Catholic, co-educational primary school in Lisdowney, near Ballyragget, Co. Kilkenny. It is a rural school with 99 children on roll, taught by four mainstream teachers. The school has a special class teacher for ASD, one full-time special education teacher, and a shared SET with Creenkill N.S., Gathabawn. Three special needs assistants support pupils, one full-time and two job-sharing. The current building was extended twice since the original construction. An ASD building was completed in 2014, and a fourth mainstream classroom was added in 2023. The school holds Green School status and has received multiple green flags for themes including litter and waste, energy, water, transport and travel, biodiversity, and global citizenship. It is currently working towards an eleventh flag on global citizenship, biodiversity and food. The school grounds include a garden with plots for each class, a small wood where every family has a tree, willow beds and a dome, and a pond and marsh area used for wildlife studies. In 2021 the school received NextGenerationEU funding under the Irish National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which was used to buy two laptops and four pro books for pupils at risk of educational disadvantage.
History
The original school building in Lisdowney dates from 1829. It was replaced by a pre-fab in 1967, and the current Scoil Bhríde building was blessed by Bishop Laurence Forristal in 1989 and opened by the then Minister for Education, Mary O'Rourke TD. The school was awarded Green School status in 1998 for its environmental work.
Applying to Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride
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 Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride. 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 Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride
How many pupils attend Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride?
Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride has 96 pupils enrolled, 46 girls and 50 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride a DEIS school?
No. Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride 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 Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride?
Lisdowney National School Scoil Bhride has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed primary school.
Illustration based on a photo by kevin higgins. Photo and adapted illustration: CC BY-SA 2.0.