St Vincent's Secondary School
Dundalk, Louth
Key facts
- Girls
- Pupils enrolled
- 928 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects taught through Irish
- Roll number
- 63900R the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
About
St Vincent's Secondary School is a Catholic girls' secondary school in Dundalk, Co. Louth, with an enrolment of 928 students. The school is under the trusteeship of CEIST and follows the Mercy philosophy of education. It operates the Junior Cycle, Transition Year, Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied programmes, and has an ASD classroom. A wellbeing curriculum is part of the Junior Cycle. The school runs a library and an Accelerated Reader programme, after-school study, a book rental scheme and a parents' council. Extra-curricular activities include art, culture, science, music, bridge, public speaking, a school musical and a school magazine, along with a range of sports. The school also participates in the Green Flag programme and has a CARE committee. Career guidance and counselling are provided, and the school has a student council and student leadership structures.
History
Six Sisters of Mercy arrived in Dundalk on 27th October 1847 and purchased the old Excise offices on Seatown Place as a convent. In 1853 a girls' National School was opened, along with a vocational school where lace-making, crochet, knitting and shirt-making were taught. St Vincent's was established as a fee-paying school for higher education, with the first pupils registered on 10th October 1853. The first three pupils were boys. A new extension was opened in 1880, and a new wing on Seatown Place, now the school Assembly Hall, was opened in 1903. Boys continued to attend St Vincent's Junior School until it amalgamated with Réalt na Mara National School in the 1960s. The school celebrated the 150th anniversary of its establishment in 2003.
Applying to St Vincent's Secondary 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 post-primary school dates apply broadly to St Vincent's Secondary 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: 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 Vincent's Secondary School
How many pupils attend St Vincent's Secondary School?
St Vincent's Secondary School has 928 pupils enrolled. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is St Vincent's Secondary School a DEIS school?
No. St Vincent's Secondary 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 Vincent's Secondary School?
St Vincent's Secondary School has a Catholic ethos. It is a girls' post-primary school.
Illustration based on a photo by Eric Jones. Photo and adapted illustration: CC BY-SA 2.0.