Mount Mercy College, Cork

Mount Mercy College is a single-sex school for girls, situated on the Model Farm Road, in Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. Its aim is to enable students to develop their full potential with emphasis on the academic, cultural, social, spiritual, aesthetic and technological areas and to foster a sense of caring and justice. Its current principal is Paidrigin Ui Riordain and current vice-principal is Ellen Van Wallegham.^[1] There are 778 pupils currently in the school and almost 60 members of staff.^[2] On September 21, 2012, Mount Mercy College welcomed the then Minister of Education and Skills, Mr. Ruairí Quinn, to the official opening of the new ‘West Wing’ extension.^[3]

Mount Mercy College has an extremely strong tradition of academic excellence^[4][5][6][7] and is the highest-ranking non fee-paying school in Ireland teaching through English according to the Sunday Times Schools' League Tables 2014 published on August 31, 2014 and the Sunday Times Schools' League Tables 2013 published on June 2, 2013.^[8]

In the Irish Times Feeder Schools published on November 27, 2014, Mount Mercy College Cork had an 80% progression rate to university and a 100% progression rate to third-level colleges.^[9] In the Sunday Times Schools' League Tables 2014 published on August 31, 2014, Mount Mercy College was ranked at 11th place overall in the Top 400 Schools in Ireland. Mount Mercy College was the only non fee-paying school teaching through English to feature in the Top 20 Schools in Ireland; the next-highest in this category, Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Galway and Muckross Park College, Dublin 4, were placed at 22nd and 23rd respectively.^[10][11][12]

In August 2013, Niamh Buttimer, a student at Mount Mercy College, received 8 A1 grades in her Leaving Certificate results,^[13] while in November 2013, Alexandra Brickley, also a student at Mount Mercy College, was awarded the gold medal from the Irish Institute of Biology for her result in Leaving Certificate Biology.^[14] In April 2014, Ioana Teodora Grigoras, a student at Mount Mercy College, represented Ireland in the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) in Antalya, Turkey.^[15] In April 2012, Cliona Cowhig, a student at Mount Mercy College, represented Ireland in the European Union Science Olympiad in Vilnius, Lithuania.^[16] In November 2014, seven students from Mount Mercy College were identified by the State Examinations Commission to be among the highest achievers in Ireland in Mathematics and Science in the Junior Certificate examination 2014 and were invited to participate in the Irish EU Science Olympiad in DCU.^[17] In September 2014, Jennifer Greally achieved first place in Ireland in her Junior Certificate Business Studies examination with the State Examinations Commission.^[18] In September 2013, ten students from Mount Mercy College achieved 10 A grades or more in the Junior Certificate examination.^[19] In September 2012, twelve students from Mount Mercy College achieved 10 A grades or more in the Junior Certificate examination.^[20]

Mount Mercy College won the All-Ireland Schools' Debating Competition in 2007 and went on to represent Ireland in the final of the Schools Mace, the national debating championships for Britain and Ireland, in the House of Lords, Westminster, London.^[21] In February 2014, Rachel Feeney, a 5th year student in Mount Mercy College was the national winner of The Loyola Institute, TCD essay competition.^[22] In May 2014, Edel Burton, a student at Mount Mercy College, won the Women in History Award in UCC for her essay entitled ‘Dr Emily Dickson and Irish Women in Medicine, 1880-1920s’.^[23]

In September 2011, a Young Social Innovators team from Mount Mercy College, Cork, were invited to Áras an Uachtaráin by President Mary McAleese to be personally congratulated by her on their winning of the title Young Social Innovators of the Year 2011.^[24] In June 2014, Jean Gould was the recipient of Mount Mercy College's Gaisce award. Jean never missed a day of primary or secondary school in fourteen years despite having to travel regularly to school from hospital appointments in Dublin.^[25] Mount Mercy College students raise over €25,000 annually to fund ‘Mount Mercy’ classrooms in Kolkata, India. A number of students visit the Hope schools, hospitals and homes in Kolkata every year to identify first-hand how money raised is put to excellent use.^[26] Students from Mount Mercy College have also travelled to South Africa to work with the Niall Mellon Township Trust.^[27]

Mount Mercy College last won the All-Ireland Schools' Hockey in 2006.^[28] Three members of the 2014 senior Ireland international hockey squad, Cliodhna Sargent, Audrey O'Flynn and Yvonne O'Byrne, were students of Mount Mercy College, Cork.^[29][30] In 2013, Leonie Hamel, a student at Mount Mercy College and a member of the Irish team at the Junior World Rowing Championships, won a rowing scholarship to the University of Central Florida.^[31] In July 2012, Jean O'Driscoll, a student at Mount Mercy College, represented Ireland at the 2012 European Girls Team Championships in Germany.

Mairéad Hickey, a student at Mount Mercy College, won the National Concert Hall Young Musicians’ Award ^[32] and the Fr Maher Music Award in November 2013, the country’s largest classical music competition for second-level students.^[33] In August 2014, Mairéad won a place to study violin at the world-renowned Kronberg Academy in Germany.^[34]

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