Presentation / De La Salle College
Muine Bheag, Carlow
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 769 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 370 girls, 399 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects taught through Irish
- Roll number
- 61150N the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Presentation De La Salle College is a Catholic co-educational secondary school in Muine Bheag (Bagenalstown), Co. Carlow, with 769 students enrolled. The school operates under the trusteeship of CEIST. The curriculum includes the Junior Cycle, Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied, Transition Year, and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. Junior Cycle students take core subjects including Irish, English, Maths, History, Geography, and Science, along with wellbeing subjects such as CSPE, SPHE, PE, RE, and Learning to Learn. Students choose three optional subjects from French, German, Business Studies, Home Economics, Wood Technology, Graphics, Music, and Visual Art. The school states its aim as being a caring community dedicated to the development of the whole person in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The college provides a library and supports student leadership through a student council and parents council. The school also runs an ASD unit called An Grianán.
History
The Presentation Sisters arrived in Bagenalstown in 1883 and established a school that also provided food and clothing to students during the famine years. That school continued as Presentation Secondary School until June 1983. St Joseph's Academy for boys was built in 1893 and run by the De La Salle order, with lay teachers from the beginning. The current college was formed on 1 September 1983 through an amalgamation of the Presentation Convent and St Joseph's Academy, serving both boys and girls. The last principal of the boys' academy, Brother Damien Kellegher, became the first principal of the new college. Successive principals oversaw additions including prefab classrooms, a science room, a business studies room, general purpose classrooms, and a woodwork room. The first lay principal was appointed in 1995. The school expanded from 450 to just under 700 students in a short period, and a new school build with a sports hall was scheduled to start in 2025.
Applying to Presentation / De La Salle College
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 Presentation / De La Salle College. 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 Presentation / De La Salle College
How many pupils attend Presentation / De La Salle College?
Presentation / De La Salle College has 769 pupils enrolled, 370 girls and 399 boys. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is Presentation / De La Salle College a DEIS school?
No. Presentation / De La Salle College 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 Presentation / De La Salle College?
Presentation / De La Salle College has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed post-primary school.