Retiring principal leaving absolutely thriving school

When retiring principal, Mr Pádraig Ó Mianáin, leaves St Brigid’s College in Derry at the end of June - probably in typical low-key fashion - he will leave a school which is absolutely thriving.

Embedded at the very heart of its surrounding community, Coláiste Bhríde scooped the prestigious ‘Best Post Primary School in Co Derry’ accolade at May’s Local Women Magazine Education Awards.

The school has also recently received a Gold Award in the Aware NI Investors in Mental Health Awards.

And with success breeding success, the school’s drama group, taught by Ms Elaine Kelly, recently won Derry Credit Union’s ‘Creativity Award for Contribution to the Arts’ as well as the NI Youth Forum ‘Good Relations Youth Award - Under 25’.

Mr Ó Mianáin and Ms McKenna (Head of Key Stage 4 & 5) receiving the St Brigid's College Gold Award in the Aware NI Investors in Mental Health Awards. 

Clearly delighted by the recognition, Mr Ó Mianáin told The Derry News St Brigid’s had always been about the pupils.

“We are now seeing that reflected in their self-esteem. Our pupils are proud of their school. They are reaching their potential and that is what we are constantly striving for in St Brigid’s,” he said.

“We believe St Brigid’s is unique. The relationship between the pupils and staff here is second to none and it is genuine, that for me is the highlight of being part of this school community.

“Covid was really hard. It was hard for everybody. People forget but at the time we thought it was life and death for everybody. That had a traumatic effect on pupils, one which is still being felt today, even on primary school pupils coming into the school now.

“That is why the priority for St Brigid’s is the mental health and wellbeing of our students,” added Mr Ó Mianáin.
Explaining his early retirement, a decision he reached in February, Mr Ó Mianáin said: “St Brigid’s College is in a great place and I always think there is a lifespan for a principal.

“I’ve got my health and I am looking forward to relaxing and spending some quality time with my family.”
Reflecting on his time at the school, which is celebrating its Golden Jubilee from September, Mr Ó Mianáin added: “I came in here subbing in 1993/94. I had always thought, having Italian, French and Irish, I would work in the European Union but when I came into St Brigid’s, I just fell in love with this place.

“The pupils were amazing and I just thought, ‘I am going to become a teacher’ so off I went to do my PGCE [post graduate certificate in education] in Queen’s. I was very lucky then to get a teaching job back here in St Brigid’s,” he said.

“But St Brigid’s is not about one person. The staff are second to none. They have always been second to none. The pupils brought me into teaching but what kept me here was the staff; we always had each other’s back.

“It can be a very challenging profession but everybody here rallies around and that is it; we have always rallied around each other.

“It is also this community and that is the reason why I have never left St Brigid’s - the local community. It’s the families. It’s the kids. It is just not the same anywhere else. That is why I would like to thank the wider community for putting their trust in us as a school,” said Mr Ó Mianáin

His sentiments were echoed by St Brigid’s ‘new’ vice principal Mr Sean McCay, who has been in post since October 2023.

Mr McCay he was attracted to St Brigid’s because it was community school.

He added: “It was co-educational and it was the culture it always had - academic success but also the well-rounded individuals and preparing those pupils for success.

“It is really believing in every child and not just believing in children who already have those academic outcomes in primary school, saying to pupils who might not have achieved in primary school, ‘You can do it. You can achieve whatever your goals are’. That is the St Brigid’s vision for every pupil,” said Mr McKay.

“We believe, if a pupil is happy, they are going to succeed,” said Mr Ó Mianáin, “rather than it being down to academic success. Academic success will come if the kid is happy, they will be in school.

“From the outset, if we get it right in Year 8, everything else will fall into place.

“That is so important. That is where they build up their self-esteem, their self-belief, that they can go and see people and talk to people, if that comes the academic achievement will follow, it isn’t the be all and end all. What matters more is It is the pastoral support, the pastoral care and welfare here at St Brigid’s,” said Mr Ó Mianáin.

Ms Fiona McAlinden Head of ICT and St Brigid’s PR co-ordinator described the school’s success over the past few years as  "fantastic".

“The amount of effort that goes into the children and doing things in the community is phenomenal. St Brigid’s is proud to be associated with the community and is committed to getting our students out into the community,” she said.

Smiling in agreement, Mr Ó Mianáin said St Brigid’s was “a big family”.

“We are all about the whole community here. It is parents. It is the pupils. It is the staff and it is the wider community all working together,” he added.

“It all down to the fact we believe when the pupils are happy in school, they are going to succeed.

“As you can imagine mental health and wellbeing are Mental health is a big issue now, so we look after each other in St Brigid’s.

“We also tap into a lot of our external agencies locally and the local community because they have the expertise we don’t have.

“We also open our school to and for the local community be it Fleadh Dhoire, Na Magha or Steelstown Brian Óg's,” said Mr Ó Mianáin.

“Our parents really understand and really appreciate that the St Brigid’s staff go above and beyond for the children and their families,” added Mr McKay, “working with the community to provide any additional support a child might need.

“There is wraparound care is in place to make sure our pupils are developing and that they are getting the positive support they need to help them to achieve in the long term,” he added.

To mark its upcoming 50th anniversary, St Brigid’s College is reinstating its iconic fundraising ‘Walk to Grianán’ on June 26, 2025.

“The ‘Walk to Grianán’ began in 1983 and we are beginning and ending or year of celebrations with one,” said Ms McAlinden.

“We have more events planned for the incoming academic year so we will be reaching out to all past pupils and members of staff to get them involved.

Acknowledging the tremendous contribution its founding principal, Mr Frank Dunne, made to St Brigid’s, Mr Ó Mianáin, also paid tribute to his successors: Ms Marianna Doherty and Dr Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, as well as vice principals: Mr Brian Rainey (deceased), Mr George Chambers, Mr Liam Gallagher, Mr Gerry McMonagle, and Ms Teresa Duddy.

“Two of our proudest achievements here in St Brigid’s College are our Irish Medium Education unit which will take in 25 new pupils in September, and our SPIMS [Specialist Provision in Mainstream Schools] unit, both of which are very much part of the school,” said Mr Ó Mianáin.

SPIMS refers to a model where mainstream schools provide specialized support for students with specific learning needs.

“However, in terms of challenges, St Brigid’s needs and deserves a new school building,” added Mr Ó Mianáin.

“We have outgrown the original school building and the extension which was built in 2002,” he said.

“We have 875 pupils here for an enrollment of 720. St Brigid’s is bursting at the seams.

“We were told two years ago with the capital spend we would be getting a new school. However, that was subsequently paused.

“Now, while we are getting five classrooms some time in the future to replace classrooms currently dedicated to our SPIMS students, St Brigid’s urgently needs a new school building. Currently we don’t have the sporting facilities other schools have,” he said.

Agreeing with the obvious need for a new school building, Mr McKay said: “St Brigid’s has the highest percentage of pupils with a statement of educational needs in the North; we have one of the highest rates of free school meals; and children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds in the North, yet when our pupils go out to other schools, they constantly ask, ‘Why do they have better facilities than us?’

“We are one of the only schools without grass football pitches, without the facilities the other schools have.

“It is about equality. The Ministers have talked about equality and making sure everything is equitable, and for some of our pupils, they don’t feel that when they go and visit other schools.”