St Mary's Diocesan School
Drogheda, Louth
Key facts
- Boys
- Pupils enrolled
- 917 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects taught through Irish
- Roll number
- 63841E the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
St Mary’s Diocesan School is a Catholic secondary school under the trusteeship of the Diocese of Meath, situated on Beamore Road in Drogheda, Co Louth. The school’s ethos is built around a community of learning where each pupil’s physical, intellectual and spiritual talents can develop fully in an atmosphere of openness, confidence and generosity. It is committed to fostering honesty, integrity and courageous self‑expression, preparing students to play an active, reflective role in society. The curriculum spans the Junior Cycle, a Transition Year programme and the Senior Cycle (Leaving Certificate), with a strong emphasis on cultural pursuits such as sport, drama and music. Modern facilities support this broad offering: a monastery building completed in 2015 provides two state‑of‑the‑art science laboratories, a dedicated art room, a music suite, as well as office and staff spaces. Earlier building phases in 1995 and 2000 added further classrooms, while a parent‑built gym, library, woodwork, geography, physics and chemistry rooms round out the campus. Today the school serves almost 900 students with a staff of around ninety, acting as a central hub for the Drogheda community.
History
The school was founded in 1965 after Fr J Johnson, Parish Priest of St Mary’s Drogheda, invited the Irish Christian Brothers to establish a post‑primary school. Initially operating from the hall of Congress Avenue National School with two teachers and 35 pupils, a purpose‑built single‑storey building opened in 1968, offering nine classrooms and specialist rooms for woodwork, geography, physics, chemistry, art and a library, plus a parent‑constructed gym. The Christian Brothers departed in 1986 and the institution became a Diocesan College under the Bishop of Meath, adopting the name St Mary’s Diocesan School. Major building programmes in 1995, 2000 and the 2015 monastery extension added new science labs, art and music facilities. Over fifty‑six years, more than four thousand students have passed through its doors, and the school now educates roughly 900 pupils.
Applying to St Mary's Diocesan 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
View St Mary's Diocesan School's own calendar (2026/2027 school year)
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide post-primary school dates apply broadly to St Mary's Diocesan School. The school publishes its own calendar, linked above, and that is the authoritative source for its reopening date and discretionary closure days.
- 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 St Mary's Diocesan School
How many pupils attend St Mary's Diocesan School?
St Mary's Diocesan School has 917 pupils enrolled. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is St Mary's Diocesan School a DEIS school?
No. St Mary's Diocesan 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 Mary's Diocesan School?
St Mary's Diocesan School has a Catholic ethos. It is a boys' post-primary school.