IN PICTURES: Gaelcholáiste Dhoire marks 10th anniversary with top class GCSE and A Level results

When the doors of the North’s second Irish Medium Post Primary school opened in September 2015 the staff and pupils knew that they were part of something special. The hopes and dreams of a community steeped in Irish language and culture rested on the shoulders of the five members of staff, the governors and 15 pupils who walked into the iconic Dungiven Castle on the 1^st of September and they rose to the challenge. Ten years later the school now has 364 pupils and as another cohort of young Gaels leave the school to enter the world of work and further Education, there is no doubt that their Gaelcholáiste experience has been hugely successful.

The school community took time recently to celebrate and recognise the achievements and victories of the class of 2025 and Caitríona Nic an tSaoir, Marketing Officer and Presenter with TG4, was there to present the pupils with their prizes and to act as guest speaker of the event. Caitríona is a native of Creggan in Co Antrim and qualified as a teacher from St Mary’s after which she took up a teaching position in Gaelscoil an tSeanchaí, Magherafelt. She left the classroom to pursue a career in marketing and presenting with TG4 where she is still employed. Caitríona spoke of her love for Irish and Irish Medium Education as well as her exciting career in media – where she gets to use her Irish each and every day!

A number of pupils at the school achieved recognition from Ulster Colleges GAA this year and were awarded All Star Awards and the Gaelcholáiste Dhoire Camogie team were recognised at the celebration for winning the Róisín McManus Cup for the first time and team coach Róisín Ní Cheallaigh was very proud of the commitment and effort that the girls expressed this year, “While we have had success at Ulster Colleges level before with joint teams when the school was small, this is the first time that our very own Camogie team has won an Ulster title at this age group- we are very proud of the team and look forward to building on our success in this academic year”

The academic achievements of the pupils were also recognised with GCSE and A Level pupils collecting their certificates and prizes at the event which was held in the school’s very own Sports Hall - completed just in time for the beginning of term. Nearly 80% of Year 12 pupils attained 5 GCSEs including English and Maths and most of them have opted to return to Gaelcholáiste Dhoire to continue their A Level studies. The pupils who finished school last year attained excellent A Level results with 95% of pupils securing their first or second choice university course and 100% attaining the benchmark of 2 A Levels A*-C.

Some of the individual results were excellent as well with Year 10 pupils Alice Ní Choinn attaining 100% of marks in her GCSE Irish exam. All Year 10 pupils sat their GCSE Irish and all pupils passed with over 90% of pupils attaining an A or A*. Year 11 pupils Fionn Mac Aonghusa and Killian Ó Dubhail Ó Cinnéide managed to get 100% in their GCSE Maths exam- which they took a year early and Year 12 pupils Erin Nic Giolla Domhnaigh, Liam Ó Muireasáin and Mairéad Ní Agáin all attained A and A* grades in their GCSE exams. Year 14 pupil Aoibhe Nic Giolla Bhuí achieved the unlikely feat of securing 100% in her A level Irish exam. A buoyant Vice Principal and Head of KS4, Treasa Uí Dhálaigh said: “We are extremely proud of the pupils who attained such high grades in their exams- our highfliers have done us proud for sure! We are equally pround of our high triers, the pupils who managed to reach their potential or surpassed it to pass their exams as well – maith iad uilig!” 

PICTURED ABOVE: A level pupil Aoibe Nic Giolla Bhuí attained 100% of marks in A Level Irish and was presented with her prize in her former bunscoil, Gaelscoil Uí Dhochartaigh, Strabane. She is now studying Optometry at Ulster University.

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