was a Catholic (

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

secondary school) in

Ballyvourney Ballyvourney ( , meaning 'Town of the Beloved', also spelled ) is a Gaeltacht village in southwest County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Ballyvourney is also a civil parish in the Barony (Ireland), barony of Muskerry West, and an ecclesiast ...

, 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. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

was opened on 4 July 1940 by the

De La Salle Brothers The De La Salle Brothers, officially named the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (; ; ) abbreviated FSC, is a Catholic lay religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in France by Jean-Baptiste de La Salle ( ...

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

primary school teachers. Located in the

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

, 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''. 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 i ...

. 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 *M ...

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