The corner stone of Clongowes approach to care is expressed as cura personalis or care of the individual.
Steven Gray,
Head of Boarding
Welcome to our Boarding School
Boarding at Clongowes offers your son the opportunity to live in a warm, vibrant and active community where he can fulfil his potential in a supportive environment. Clongowes is a warm and happy place – a home away from home for our community of 450 boys from Ireland and abroad.
Boarding Life
In Clongowes, we believe that a boarding school is a most nurturing, challenging, and above all exciting form of education. The hallmark of any good boarding school is that it should mirror the very best of family life and the family home. The best homes are full of life and laughter. They offer understanding and patience; they provide support and comfort when things go wrong. The best homes give children clear boundaries. They set high expectations and they instil values by which to live. A strong family life nurtures the self-esteem that young people need to go out into the world with confidence. This is what we aspire to do, and more, in Clongowes, complementing modern family life.
Walk into Clongowes at any time and you sense warmth and community. We cater for a wide variety of boys; and we work very hard to meet the needs of families. Parents are involved in their boys’ day to day lives and are encouraged to come into the College to support school life – the sporting fixtures, concerts, plays and so on, on Sunday mornings for Mass, or to simply drop in with some more tuck or a bag of freshly laundered clothes.
Breaks and Weekends
Clongowes is a seven-day boarding school with lots of weekends and Saturday nights at home built into the school year. This gives students and their parents the best of both worlds – all the benefits of boarding along with time at home with family and friends. There are long weekend breaks each month for all students as well as numerous optional Saturday night leave opportunities. See our calendar here.
Daily Life
Accommodation for First and Second year is predominantly in shared cublics, in Third and Fourth years there are more single cubicles available but also boys can opt to share with friends. As the boys join the Higher Line in Fifth and Sixth years have single rooms as well as added benefits of kitchens and laundry facilities.
Care of the boys is paramount and excellent support networks are in place through our comprehensive boarding team. Each year group has an adult prefect (Housemaster/Housemistress) living close to their dormitories or room who guides and advises the boys and is responsible for the overall well-being of the students.
A typical day for the boys at Clongowes is diverse and rewarding and includes a mix of formal classes, structured evening study, social outings and a broad co-curricular programme that ensures healthy and balanced students.
‘I am always on hand to help, advise and guide students – to be a companion on the road – an anam chara’.
Fr Michael Sheil SJ,
Spiritual Father
