Scoil Colmcille, Letterkenny

The school stands on the site of the town's first Gaelic football playing field.[2] It was built in 1974. At the time of the new Scoil Colmcille's opening over 600 boys attended the school. By 1985 school numbers grew to over 700 and 23 teachers were employed. The current principal is Pauric Cannon, who succeeded Tom Redden.

Boys are housed at the rear end of the school and play in the back yard while girls are taught at the front entrance and play in the adjoining yard. Other non-teaching staff include secretaries, cleaners, ancillary workers and a caretaker.

The school choir, led by Mr Frank Breslin, sang to a prime time national audience on The Late Late Toy Show in 1995.[3]

At an event held at the school in January 2020, organised by teachers Rory Kavanagh and Odhran McGowan and attended by many of those who had been pupils there in the past, the then Leas-Cheann Comhairle Pat "the Cope" Gallagher claimed that, while not having attended the school, he had come close to doing so as his father had been employed by Esso in Letterkenny.[4] The same event was brought to a close by fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh.[4] Also among those in attendance were the then Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh and former school principal Tom Redden, while those based abroad such as Deputy Mayor of Islington Troy Gallagher and chef Conrad Gallagher delivered contributions by video.[4]

Plaque located on the wall of the old Scoil Colm Cille

The school has won the Green Flag award on a number of occasions and is known for its environmental endeavours. A school newspaper, The Green Eco, is produced irregularly.[5]

Gaelic footballers Rory Kavanagh, Colm McFadden, Frank McGlynn and Kevin Rafferty visited the school on 26 September 2012 accompanied by the Sam Maguire Cup, the trophy they had won following victory in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. Kavanagh and Rafferty were past pupils of the school.[6]

• Rory Kavanagh — the All-Ireland winning Gaelic footballer teaches at the school[6]
• The widow of former Mayor of Letterkenny Dessie Larkin taught at the school during the 1990s before her marriage.
• Anne McGowan — the community activist, noted for, among other things, chairing the Tidy Towns Committee that brought the award to Letterkenny for the first time in 2015, taught at the school from 1974 to 2012.[7][8]

• Conrad Gallagher — Michelin star-winning chef; cooked for President of the United States Bill Clinton, listed in Who's Who[9][10][11]
• Troy Gallagher — Deputy Mayor of Islington[4]
• Pat Gibson — Recognised as one of the world's foremost quiz players; won the UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2004); won Mastermind (2005); won the BBC Radio 4 quiz show Brain of Britain (2006); won Mastermind Champion of Champions (2010); features as the Seventh Egghead on Eggheads
• Ciaran Harvey — CIO of Pramerica Systems Ireland[12]
• Declan Harvey — BBC television presenter and radio journalist[4]
• Rory Kavanagh — All-Ireland winning Gaelic footballer[6]
• Kieran Kelly — historian, actor and playwright[4]
• John Logue — former President of the Union of Students in Ireland[13]
• Ronan Margey — Lead Clinical Cardiologist at the Mater Private Hospital, Cork[4]
• Kevin Rafferty — All-Ireland winning Gaelic footballer[6]

• Official website
• Tom Redden talks about the school's facilities