Mother Teresa's old school 'Gaelwarts' in demand as a wedding venue
Meet the class in Dublin's own 'Hogwarts' school in the building where Mother Teresa learned English.
The doors of Gael Cholaiste an Phiarsaig opened in September and accepted its first 16 students.
The Rathfarnham school is located in a former Loreto Abbey on the southside of the capital.
It has been described by many as Ireland's answer to Hogwarts, but the students have a better name for the historic building.
"They love it here. It is the Irish answer to Hogwarts, the students call it Gaelwarts," principal Joe Mac Suibhne told the Herald.
It was planned for development until the crash and then Nama took the keys. Nama sold the school earlier this year to the Department of Education for a reported €2.3m.
It is the first post-primary Gaelscoil to open on the south of the Liffey in more than a decade and it's is hoped that the entire building when completed will cater for 500 students.
It is believed that the Department of Education will need to invest a total of €12m into the building to fully revamp it. Mother Teresa of Calcutta studied English here when she came to Ireland in the 1920s.
Mr Mac Suibhne said that his young pupils do understand the significance of their school.
"It is a really beautiful building," he said. "The school is in demand but we are only enrolling the year before students are due to start. We are not letting people enrol ten years in advance; we want to keep it fair."
The mixed school will take in three classes of first years next September. There are currently six teachers working in the school.
"It's a great atmosphere we have at the minute, it's like a family. We hope to keep hold of that," he said.
Students and staff are currently restricted to one part of the building.
"It will be refurbished as we go along," the principal explained.
"We are actually based in the oldest part at the moment, it was built in 1725. It's a beautiful period building."
"The rooms are all very large, with 15ft high that all have ornate coving," he explained.
There is also a church located within the abbey.
"The church is a fabulous building. I have people emailing me to have their weddings here," Mr Mac Suibhne revealed.
It's not the first time that the 250-year-old building has housed a school. Up until the mid-1990s it was Catholic boarding school for girls.
Any building work that was carried out was done very carefully and an architecture team are currently drawing up plans for the refurbishment.
Sean scoil Mother Teresa 'Gaelwarts' in éileamh mar ionad pósadh
Seo an rang i ‘Hogwarts’ Baile Átha Cliath féin, sa foirgneamh inar d’fhoghlaim Mother Teresa a cuid Béarla.
I Mean Fómhair a d’oscail dorais Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh don chéad uair agus a ghlac siad a gcéad 16 dalta. Tá an scoil Ráth Fearnáin suite i sean Loreto Abbey ar taobh ó dheas an chaipiteal. Áirítear é mar Hogwarts na hÉire, ach tá ainm níos fearr ag na dalta ar an bhfoirgneamh stairiúil.
“Is breá leo anseo é. Is Hogwarts na hÉire é, tugann na daltaí Gaelwarts ar,” a dúirt príomhoide Joe Mac Suibhne.
Bhí plean forbairt ann don fhoirgneamh go dtí gur bhuail an cúlú eacnamaíochta, agus thóg Nama na heochracha. Dhíol Nama an scoil níos luaithe sa bhliain don Roinn Oideachais, ar €2.3m a thuairiscítear.
Is í an chéad meánscoil lán Gaeilge le n-oscail ar theas na Life in os cionn deich mbliana. Tá súil acu nuair a beidh an foirgneamh ar fad críochnaithe go mbeidh spás ann do 500 dalta.
Creidtear go mbeidh ar an Roinn Oideachais €12m san iomlán a infheistiú chun athchóiriú iomlán a dhéanamh ar an bhfoirgneamh. Rinne Mother Teresa Ó Calcutta staidéar ar Bhéarla nuair a tháinig sí go hÉire sna 1920idí.
Dúirt an tUasal Mac Suibhne go dtuigeann na daltaí suntas an scoil.
“Is foirgneamh álainn é,”a dúirt sé. “Tá éileamh ar an scoil ach níl cead clárú ach bliain roimh a bhfuil siad i ndán tosnú sa scoil. Nílimid ag ligint do dhaoine chlárú a dhéanamh deich mbliana roimh ré; táimid ag iarraidh é a choimeád cothrom.”
Tógfaidh an scoil measctha trí rang isteach sa chéad bhliain an Mean Fómhair seo chugainn. Tá seisear múinteoir ag obair sa scoil faoi láthair.
“Is atmaisféar iontach atá againn faoi láthair, tá sé cosúil le teaghlach. Táimid ag iarraidh é sin a choimeád,” a dúirt sé.
Tá na daltaí agus an foireann teorannaithe go cuid amháin den fhoirgneamh faoi láthair.
“Tá athchóiriú á dhéanamh mar a théimid,” a mhínigh an príomhoide.
“Táimid lonnaithe sa páirt is sine faoi láthair, tógtha i 1725. Is foirgneamh álainn tréimhse é.”
“Tá na seomraí ar fad an-mhór, tá na síleáil 15ft in airde le snoíodóireacht ornáideach ag gach ceann.”
Freisin tá eaglais lonnaithe sa mhainistreach.
“Is foirgneamh iontach í an eaglais. Tá ríomhphoist faighte agam ó dhaoine ag lorg cead é a úsáid mar ionad pósadh,”a nocht an tUasal Mac Suibhne.
Ní seo an chéad uair scoil a bheidh san fhoirgneamh. Suas go dtí lár na 1990idí scoil chónaithe Caitliceach do chailíní a bhí ann.
Aon obair tógála a bhí déanta, tógadh an-chúram dó agus tá foireann ailtireacht faoi láthair ag scríobh beartais don athchóiriú.