Abbey Vocational School
Encyclopedia
The Abbey Vocational School (also known as the AVS or the 'Tech'; Scoil na Mainistreach in Irish
) is a non-denominational vocational
secondary school
situated in Donegal Town
, County Donegal
. It has approximately 800 students, and is the largest school run by the Donegal Vocational Education Committee
. The school is located on the outskirts of the town and is named after the 15th-century Franciscan
friary (commonly referred to as an Abbey), the ruins of which lie a few hundred metres from the school.
Courses offered include the Junior
and Leaving Certificate
s, Transition Year
, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme
(LCVP), as well as a range of Post-Leaving Certificate courses (PLCs), and it is also one of the top feeder schools for Letterkenny Institute of Technology
(LYIT). Like most schools now operated by the VEC, the AVS has moved away from a strongly vocational syllabus towards a more general curriculum including modern languages and sciences. The building itself is single story with almost sixty class rooms, including general purpose, computer, science, music, engineering and drama rooms. The school also has extensive sport facilities including grass pitches, tennis/basketball courts, gymnasium and athletic track.
College, which existed until the 1920s when it was renamed as Fisher's High School and continued until the 1930s. It was replaced more than a decade later by Four Masters
High School
(Irish: Ardscoil na gCeithre Máistir) , which was a fee paying school founded by F.R. Cleary and located next to the town's railway station. However, it was not until 1953 that free secondary education was made available with the establishment of the Technical School (Irish: An Cheard Scoil; known locally as the 'Tech') which was located on the Killybegs road, close to the town centre.
In 1972, the VEC took control of the town's High School, and merged it with the Technical School to create Donegal Vocational School (Irish: Gairmscoil Dhún na nGall). However, as numbers continued to expand the school became increasingly stretched and was based in eight different centres with almost 600 pupils. It was at this point a decision as taken to relocate the school to a new 14 acres (56,656 m²) site on the southern edge of the town, on the Ballyshannon Road, overlooking Donegal Bay and Donegal Abbey. The new building was opened in 1982, with the school renamed as the Abbey Vocational School to reflect its new location.
The buildings used prior to the opening of the new school still remain in use, serving as the Donegal Town Library and Donegal Adult Education Centre.
In 2007 the schools Under 15 Girls athletics team won the Ulster Schools title and finished runners up in the All Ireland schools.The schools Under 15 Girls 4 x 100 m relay team were Ulster and All Ireland winners.
At the Donegal Sports Star Awards function in Letterkenny the Abbey Voc School were winners of the Co Councils Chairman's Cup in recognition of the schools outstanding overall sporting success during 2007. Individually, Margaret McGroary has been recognised for her outstanding achievements in the All-Ireland long jump tournament in May, 2008. She set a new Irish under 16 record despite having back problems in recent times. Other notable mentions for individual sporting successes are for Daniel Harley who moved Lancaster, England in late 2009, to fulfill his as a semi-pro badminton player.
Jason Carr has also played in the Ireland u-16 basketball team.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) is a non-denominational vocational
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
situated in Donegal Town
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. It has approximately 800 students, and is the largest school run by the Donegal Vocational Education Committee
Vocational Education Committee
A Vocational Education Committee is a statutory local education body in the Republic of Ireland that administers some secondary education, most adult education and a very small amount of primary education in the state...
. The school is located on the outskirts of the town and is named after the 15th-century Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friary (commonly referred to as an Abbey), the ruins of which lie a few hundred metres from the school.
Courses offered include the Junior
Junior Certificate
The Junior Certificate is an educational qualification awarded in Ireland by the Department of Education to students who have successfully completed the junior cycle of secondary education, and achieved a minimum standard in their Junior Cert. examinations...
and Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
s, Transition Year
Transition Year
Transition Year is an optional one-year school programme that can be taken in the year after the Junior Certificate in Ireland and is intended to make the senior cycle a three year programme encompassing both Transition Year and Leaving Certificate...
, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme
The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme is a two-year Education Programme of the Irish Department of Education and Science. It was introduced in 1989. According to the Department, the programme is designed to give a strong vocational dimension to the Leaving Certificate...
(LCVP), as well as a range of Post-Leaving Certificate courses (PLCs), and it is also one of the top feeder schools for Letterkenny Institute of Technology
Letterkenny Institute of Technology
Letterkenny Institute of Technology , formerly Regional Technical College, Letterkenny, is located in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland. It is a third level institution serving County Donegal and the North West of Ireland. The institute is usually known locally as the Regional. Today, it is one...
(LYIT). Like most schools now operated by the VEC, the AVS has moved away from a strongly vocational syllabus towards a more general curriculum including modern languages and sciences. The building itself is single story with almost sixty class rooms, including general purpose, computer, science, music, engineering and drama rooms. The school also has extensive sport facilities including grass pitches, tennis/basketball courts, gymnasium and athletic track.
History
The first proper school to offer secondary education in Donegal Town was called EskeRiver Eske
The River Eske is a river in the northwest of Ireland, beginning at Lough Eske in southeast County Donegal before flowing mainly westwards to the town of Donegal and into the Atlantic via Donegal Bay....
College, which existed until the 1920s when it was renamed as Fisher's High School and continued until the 1930s. It was replaced more than a decade later by Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(Irish: Ardscoil na gCeithre Máistir) , which was a fee paying school founded by F.R. Cleary and located next to the town's railway station. However, it was not until 1953 that free secondary education was made available with the establishment of the Technical School (Irish: An Cheard Scoil; known locally as the 'Tech') which was located on the Killybegs road, close to the town centre.
In 1972, the VEC took control of the town's High School, and merged it with the Technical School to create Donegal Vocational School (Irish: Gairmscoil Dhún na nGall). However, as numbers continued to expand the school became increasingly stretched and was based in eight different centres with almost 600 pupils. It was at this point a decision as taken to relocate the school to a new 14 acres (56,656 m²) site on the southern edge of the town, on the Ballyshannon Road, overlooking Donegal Bay and Donegal Abbey. The new building was opened in 1982, with the school renamed as the Abbey Vocational School to reflect its new location.
The buildings used prior to the opening of the new school still remain in use, serving as the Donegal Town Library and Donegal Adult Education Centre.
Identity
The school's crest is a decorative window from Donegal Friary surrounded by the initials of the Four Masters (Míchéal Ó Cléirigh, Cúcugríche Ó Cléirigh, Cúcugríche Ó Duigneán and Fearfeasa Ó Maolchonaire). The crest was introduced upon the opening of the new buildings in 1982, with a model of the window erected in front of the school, it was also at this time that a school uniform was introduced, and it currently consists of a grey jumper and trousers/skirt and a maroon shirt. The motto of the school is 'mol an óige' meaning 'praise the young' and is an extract from the Irish saying, 'mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí' (English: praise the young and they will come with you). The motto also features as part of the crest, which also includes the proclamation 'Chum Gloiré Dé agus Onóra na hÉireann' (English: 'For the Glory of God and Honour of Ireland').Sport
The school has had recent success in the sport of basketball, in particular with the under-16 boys age group, which won the All Ireland Cup and League at 'C Level' and the 2nd year boys at B level while reaching the 16 final at 'B' level. At present time all age groups in the school are competing at 'A Level'.In 2007 the schools Under 15 Girls athletics team won the Ulster Schools title and finished runners up in the All Ireland schools.The schools Under 15 Girls 4 x 100 m relay team were Ulster and All Ireland winners.
At the Donegal Sports Star Awards function in Letterkenny the Abbey Voc School were winners of the Co Councils Chairman's Cup in recognition of the schools outstanding overall sporting success during 2007. Individually, Margaret McGroary has been recognised for her outstanding achievements in the All-Ireland long jump tournament in May, 2008. She set a new Irish under 16 record despite having back problems in recent times. Other notable mentions for individual sporting successes are for Daniel Harley who moved Lancaster, England in late 2009, to fulfill his as a semi-pro badminton player.
Jason Carr has also played in the Ireland u-16 basketball team.
Past Principals
- 1953-1975: Paddy Rooney
- 1975-2001: J.J. Harvey
- 2001-2006: Mary Ann Kane
- 2006–Present: Emanuel McCormack
Deputies
- 1954-1996: Oliver Plunkett
- 1996-2001: Mary Ann Kane
- 1998-2000: Alec Reid
- 2001-2004: David Murphy
- 2004–2010: Colman Lee
- 2010-Present: Ronan Doherty