Loreto Convent Secondary School, Letterkenny

Loreto Convent (Irish: Clochar Loreto) is an all girls Roman Catholic secondary school for students of all abilities in County Donegal, Ireland. Located on a hillside beside the Cathedral of St. Eunan and St. Columba in Letterkenny, it is one of nineteen Loreto secondary schools in Ireland. Many of the girls' brothers attend or will have attended Saint Eunan's College, which is a short distance up the road

The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, better known in Ireland as the Loreto Order, was founded in England by Mary Ward in the 17th century. The Order was introduced into Ireland in 1821 by Mother Frances Teresa Ball. In 1854, the then Bishop of Raphoe, Dr. McGettigan, invited the Order to set up a secondary school for girls in Letterkenny. The day-school opened on September 4, 1854 with five pupils.

A new wing with a Concert Hall was built in 1939 and further extensions were added in 1972, 1978 and 1986, bringing the school to its present standard of accommodation and facilities. An extension was sanctioned by the Department of Education and was opened to coincide with the 150th anniversary celebrations in mid-2004. The first classes took place there in September 2005.

From the 1920s until 1976 Loreto Letterkenny was an all-Irish school. It ceased to be a boarding school in 1978.

The Loreto schools share a common educational philosophy and maintain links through inter-school co-operation and extra-curricular activities.

The former headmaster Noel Ferry was the first male and the first lay principal of the school since it opened over 150 years ago. This fondness for the laity has since spread to Saint Eunan's College, which appointed Christopher Darby as its first lay president in 2009.

The school is under the control of a Board of Management. Loreto Trustees are designated the legal owners, but they devolve most of their powers to the Board. Representatives are elected by the Loreto Order, by parents and by teachers, and serve for a three-year period. The Board ensures that the school retains the Loreto ethos, maintaining the high standards demanded by the Loreto Order.

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