St. Joseph's Girls National School
Clonakilty, Cork
Key facts
- Girls
- Pupils enrolled
- 192 larger than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 07651G the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
St Joseph's Girls' National School is a Catholic primary school for girls in Clonakilty, Co. Cork, with 192 pupils in classes from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. The school gives its motto as "Ag fás is ag foghlaim le chéile". Instrumental tuition is available in flute, violin and guitar, and the school maintains a set of violins and flutes lent to pupils who want to try an instrument before buying one. Choirs have performed at Feis Maitiú and in combined concerts with the choir of a neighbouring school. Sixth Class works through the Junior Entrepreneur Programme over 16 weeks, forming a company and designing, marketing and selling a product. Camogie, Gaelic football, soccer, hockey, athletics and tennis are played, with fixtures through Sciath na Scol, and classes use the astroturf and tennis courts at Clonakilty Sports Complex as well as the Joe Walsh Greenway for walks. Green, Active and Amber Flags are held, and the school participates in the Yellow Flag programme for cultural diversity. A student council and an active school committee organise activities for the younger classes, and afterschool care operates at the school.
Applying to St. Joseph's Girls National School
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 St. Joseph's Girls National School. 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 St. Joseph's Girls National School
How many pupils attend St. Joseph's Girls National School?
St. Joseph's Girls National School has 192 pupils enrolled. That makes it larger than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is St. Joseph's Girls National School a DEIS school?
No. St. Joseph's Girls National School 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 St. Joseph's Girls National School?
St. Joseph's Girls National School has a Catholic ethos. It is a girls' primary school.