Our Ladys Abbey
Adare, Limerick
Key facts
- Girls
- Pupils enrolled
- 125 about the same size as the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 09296W the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Our Ladys Abbey is an all‑girls primary school situated in the picturesque village of Adare, County Limerick. The school provides education for Junior Infants through 6th class within a warm, caring Catholic environment that seeks to nurture each pupil’s academic, spiritual, physical, social and emotional development. A strong ethos of inclusion underpins the curriculum, ensuring that children of all abilities, backgrounds and creeds are valued and given equal opportunity to thrive. The teaching programme incorporates a broad range of specialist initiatives, including the Aistear framework for early childhood learning, Gaelbhratach Irish language immersion, Literacy Lift‑Off, Discover Primary Science & Maths, as well as active participation in the Active Schools, Green Schools, Digital School of Distinction and Health Promoting School schemes. Recent extensions have added a purpose‑room, a modern computer suite and an additional classroom (2016), providing contemporary learning spaces while retaining the historic character of the original convent building. The school’s Catholic ethos is reflected in its commitment to fostering a supportive community of pupils, staff, parents, the Board of Management and the local parish. Through collaborative effort the school aims to develop independent, self‑motivated learners who are confident, respectful and happy in themselves, with others and in the wider world.
History
Our Ladys Abbey Girls School was founded by the Sisters of Mercy on 20 April 1854, occupying two rooms behind the Trinitarian (White) Abbey in Adare. The convent, restored by Lord Dunraven in 1850, housed seven sisters and the school quickly grew, with almost 200 pupils enrolling on the first day. By the turn of the 20th century the school offered classes from Infants to 7th (and occasionally 8th) class, and during World War I welcomed three Belgian refugee girls. In the 1940s the Sisters introduced secondary education up to the Leaving Certificate, which continued until 1972. After the Sisters left in 1975, the school became a fully lay‑run Girls National School. Major renovations in the mid‑1990s, a blessing and renaming by Bishop Donal Murray in 1997, and further extensions in 2004 (purpose room and computer room) and 2016 (additional classroom) have modernised the facilities while preserving the school’s medieval heritage symbolised in its crest.
Applying to Our Ladys Abbey
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 Our Ladys Abbey. 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 Our Ladys Abbey
How many pupils attend Our Ladys Abbey?
Our Ladys Abbey has 125 pupils enrolled. That makes it about the same size as the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is Our Ladys Abbey a DEIS school?
No. Our Ladys Abbey 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 Our Ladys Abbey?
Our Ladys Abbey has a Catholic ethos. It is a girls' primary school.
Illustration based on a photo by Gerd Eichmann. Photo and adapted illustration: CC BY-SA 4.0.