Oatlands College

Oatlands College (Irish: Coláiste Fhearann an Choirce) is a voluntary Christian Brothers secondary school for boys aged 12-18, located in Mount Merrion, County Dublin in Ireland. It prepares students for Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate examinations. The school was ranked as the 10th best non fee-paying secondary school for boys in County Dublin by the Irish Times newspaper in 2013.

Development

The Christian Brothers first established a community in 1951, before opening the school in 1955. It is now under the Trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust. The school added a single storey extension in 1969 and later added a sports hall in 1980. After some modernisation in 1995, the school opened a new wing in 1999.^[2] In the summer of 2010, a new technology room, drawing room, music room, a second computer room, two new class rooms and two new science laboratories were added to the building.^[3] On 10th May 2012, a new sports hall with a canteen and a new classroom was opened by the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.^[3] The school is very well served by Dublin Bus routes 7b, 7d, 46a, 46e, 47, 116, 118 and 145 along the N11 Stillorgan Road Quality Bus Corridor. The school itself is located about 2 minutes walk to Stillorgan village.

Curriculum

The school offers the following subjects at Junior Cycle:

First Year: All students take the following subjects:

Core: Irish, English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science, C.S.P.E, S.P.H.E, Religion, Business, Technical Graphics, Technology, P.E., French, German, Art. Modules: Music, Computer Studies, Aquatic Studies, and Speech and Drama.

Second and Third Year: Core: Irish, English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science, C.S.P.E., S.P.H.E., Religion, P.E. and A selection from: Business, Technical Graphics, Technology, French, German, Art, Music, Computer Studies, and Speech and Drama.

The subjects at Senior Cycle are as follows:

All students study Irish, English, Maths, French or German and Religion. The following are free for the students to choose from: History, Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Music, Business, Accounting, Economics, Art, Technology, Applied Maths, Physics, Home Economics, Design & Communication Graphics, PE, and Career Guidance.

The school operates a Transition Year Option in Fourth Year.

Oatlands College does not offer a Repeat Leaving Certificate Programme.

Sports

Oatlands partakes in Gaelic football, hurling, soccer, basketball, chess,cross country running,archery and athletics. The school has also a very successful golf team who became the South Dublin champions in 2013.

Extra-Curricular Activities

School teams enter Business Quiz Competitions, Inter-School Debate Competitions, Student Enterprise Awards, the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, Young Social Innovators, Build a Bank, and Edmund Rice Awards. Students also participate in Schools Across Borders, and the Zambia Immersion Programme.

Each year a College Musical is performed by Transition Year students in association with the girls from Dominican College Sion Hill. Talent Shows are held on a regular basis.

There is an annual School Tour in Transition Year to a continental destination (subject to sufficient uptake). Students regularly participate in cultural and educational outings. Transition Year students may complete the ECDL Computer Course and Oatlands College is a recognised accrediting centre. A school newsletter `Oatlands News` is currently published twice a year.

Notable alumni

• Glen Power, drummer of The Script
• Brian Mooney, former chief executive of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors
• Brian Brennan, author and journalist
• Paddy Carr, GAA manager
• Kenny Carroll, Irish cricketer
• Don Conroy, artist and RTÉ Television presenter
• Paul Griffin, Gaelic footballer
• Dermot Moran, philosophy professor
• Dermot Morgan, comedian
• Paddy Kavanagh, footballer
• Ross O'Carroll, hurler
• Éamon Ó Cuív TD, Fianna Fáil party politician and former cabinet minister
• Stephen Collins, political editor of the Irish Times
• James Kavanagh, footballer
• Dean Clarke, footballer
• Kevin Harkin, artist
• Bryan Cleary, artist
• Cian Doughan, celebrity architect
• Philip Barr, singer
• Ronan Nissenbaum, director

References