was a Catholic (

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

secondary school) in

Ballyvourney Ballyvourney ( ga, Baile Bhuirne , meaning 'Town of the Beloved', also spelled ) is a Gaeltacht village in southwest County Cork, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the barony of Muskerry West, and is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Cat ...

, County Cork, Ireland. The school was built in phases in the 1930s. The

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

was opened on 4 July 1940 by the

De La Salle Brothers french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

as a preparatory school, i.e. a secondary school to prepare pupils to become

primary school teachers. Located in the

Muskerry Muskerry ( ga, Múscraí) is a central region of County Cork, Ireland which incorporates the baronies of Muskerry West Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

, its admission criteria prioritised Irish speakers, especially native speakers.

Closure

The school closed in 1989 and was amalgamated with nearby ''Gairmscoil Ghobnatan'' (opened in 1950) to form ''

Colaiste Ghobnatan ''Colaiste Ghobnatan'' is an Irish-medium school in the civil parish of Ballyvourney in County Cork, Ireland. As of 2015, there were approximately 200 students enrolled in the school. Located in the Muskerry Gaeltacht, Irish is spoken throughout ...

''. The building fell into decay. It was purchased in 1998 for IR£215,000 by

Údarás na Gaeltachta Údarás na Gaeltachta (; meaning "Gaeltacht Authority"), abbreviated UnaG, is a regional state agency which is responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of Irish-speaking (Gaeltacht) regions of Ireland. Its stated purpose is t ...

. Several plans were made for new uses of the site, but all fell through, including a 1999 plan for a £1.5m national all-Irish education facility for which education minister

Michael Woods Michael Woods may refer to: * Michael Woods (Australian politician) (1857–1934), member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Michael Woods (comics), American writer/editor of comic books * Michael Woods (cyclist) (born 1986), Canadian cyclist ...

turned the sod in 1999. An industrial estate was built on the former playing field. Renovations began in late 2022, and in April 2023 Údarás na Gaeltachta announced that part of the building would become a ‘Gteic’ regional digital hub with offices and hot-desk facilities. This hub is the first step in a plan which is proposed to include a training base, exhibition hall and offices for agencies such as Údarás na Gaeltachta itself and local community organisations.

Notable past pupils

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colaiste Iosagain Educational institutions established in 1940 Educational institutions established in 1989 Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland Catholic secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland Secondary schools in County Cork 1940 establishments in Ireland 1989 establishments in Ireland Lasallian schools in Ireland Former Lasallian educational institutions Catholic boarding schools in Ireland