Mount Mercy College, Cork

Mount Mercy College is a single-sex school for girls, situated on the Model Farm Road, in Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland. Its aim is to enable students to develop their full potential with emphasis on the academic, cultural, social, spiritual, aesthetic and technological areas and to foster a sense of caring and justice. Its current principal is Pádraigín Uí Ríordáin and current vice-principal is Ellen Van Wallegham.^[1] There are 778 pupils currently in the school and almost 60 members of staff.^[2] On September 21, 2012, Mount Mercy College welcomed the then Minister of Education and Skills, Mr. Ruairí Quinn, to the official opening of the new ‘West Wing’ extension.^[3]

Mount Mercy College was the highest-ranking non fee-paying school in Ireland teaching through English in the Sunday Times Schools' League Tables 2014 published on August 31, 2014 and in the Sunday Times Schools' League Tables 2013 published on June 2, 2013.^[4] In the Sunday Times Schools' League Tables 2015 published on August 30, 2015, Mount Mercy College was ranked at eleventh place overall in the top four hundred schools in Ireland.^[5] In the Irish Times Feeder Schools list published on November 27, 2014, Mount Mercy College Cork had a 100% progression rate to third-level colleges^[6] with 80% progressing to university.^[7] Mount Mercy College has a strong tradition of academic excellence.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

In August 2015, Méabh Allen and Kate Henry, both students at Mount Mercy College, were two of just eight students in Ireland to receive 8 A1 grades in the Leaving Certificate examination 2015.^[13] In August 2013, Niamh Buttimer, a student at Mount Mercy College, received 8 A1 grades in her Leaving Certificate results,^[14] while in November 2013, Alexandra Brickley, also a student at Mount Mercy College, was awarded the gold medal from the Irish Institute of Biology for her result in Leaving Certificate Biology.^[15] In April 2012, Cliona Cowhig, a student at Mount Mercy College, represented Ireland in the European Union Science Olympiad in Vilnius, Lithuania.^[16] In July 2015, Ioana Teodora Grigoras, a student at Mount Mercy College, represented Ireland at the 56th International Mathematical Olympiad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.^[17]

In September 2015, Anne O'Farrell, a student at Mount Mercy College, was one of just six students in Ireland to obtain 12 A grades in the Junior Certificate examination 2015.^[18] In November 2014, seven students from Mount Mercy College were identified by the State Examinations Commission to be amongst the highest achievers in Ireland in Mathematics and Science in the Junior Certificate examination 2014 and were invited to participate in the Irish EU Science Olympiad in DCU. This was one of the highest representations from any secondary school in Ireland.^[19] In September 2014, Jennifer Greally achieved first place in Ireland in her Junior Certificate Business Studies examination with the State Examinations Commission and received a gold medal from the Business Studies Teachers’ Association of Ireland.^[20]

Mount Mercy College won the All-Ireland Schools' Debating Competition in 2007 and went on to represent Ireland in the final of the Schools' Mace in the House of Lords, Westminster, London.^[21] Mount Mercy College were the winners of the Cork Junior Schools' Mace in 2014.^[22] In April 2015, Adina Zago, a student at Mount Mercy College, was the winner of Matheson Junior Debating award for her speech entitled "We Should All Be Feminists".^[23] In February 2014, Rachel Feeney, a 5th year student in Mount Mercy College was the national winner of The Loyola Institute, TCD essay competition.^[24] In May 2014, Edel Burton, a student at Mount Mercy College, won the Women in History Award in UCC for her essay entitled ‘Dr Emily Dickson and Irish Women in Medicine, 1880-1920s’.^[25]

In September 2011, a Young Social Innovators team from Mount Mercy College, Cork, was invited to Áras an Uachtaráin by President Mary McAleese to be personally congratulated by her on their winning of the title Young Social Innovators of the Year 2011.^[26] In June 2014, Jean Gould was the recipient of Mount Mercy College's Gaisce award. Jean never missed a day of primary or secondary school in fourteen years despite having to travel regularly to school from hospital appointments in Dublin.^[27]

Mount Mercy College students raise over €25,000 annually to fund ‘Mount Mercy’ classrooms in Kolkata, India. A number of students visit the Hope schools, hospitals and homes in Kolkata every year to identify first-hand how money raised is put to excellent use.^[28] Students from Mount Mercy College have also travelled to South Africa to work with the Niall Mellon Township Trust.^[29]

Mount Mercy College last won the Kate Russell Cup, the All-Ireland Schools' Hockey championships, in 2006.^[30] Three members of the senior Ireland international hockey squad, Cliodhna Sargent, Audrey O'Flynn and Yvonne O'Byrne, were students of Mount Mercy College, Cork.^[31][32] In 2012, Mount Mercy College won the Munster Schools' Golf championships and Jean O'Driscoll, a student at Mount Mercy College, represented Ireland at the 2012 European Girls Team Championships in Germany.^[33] In 2013, Leonie Hamel, a student at Mount Mercy College and a member of the Irish team at the Junior World Rowing Championships, won a rowing scholarship to the University of Central Florida.^[34]

Mairéad Hickey, a student at Mount Mercy College, won the National Concert Hall Young Musicians’ Award^[35] and the Fr Maher Music Award in November 2013, the country’s largest classical music competition for second-level students.^[36] Mairéad won several international violin competitions including the Jeunesses Musicales International Violin Competition in Romania in 2012 and the Antonio Salieri Prize primo premio assoluto in Italy in 2010. In August 2014, Mairéad won a place to study violin at the world-renowned Kronberg Academy in Germany.^[37][38]

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