Deele College, formerly Raphoe Vocational School, is a mixed non-denominational secondary school in Raphoe,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, Ireland. The population of the school is roughly about 800 students and 50 teachers.

History

In 1958, the provision of another school in Raphoe in addition to the existing Royal School was recommended. This would eventually become Raphoe Vocational School, which opened on 29 March 1965 (by the Minister for Local Government at the time, Neil Blaney, T.D.) on two acres and on which the school stands today, albeit with a further seven acres added to it on which the school building was extended in 1985. The school was later renamed Deele College, being renamed after the Burn Dale, which is also known as the

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...

Deele or the River Deele, a 'burn' which flows about two miles to the south of Raphoe. ''Discovery Series'' Sheet 6 (4th Edition).

Ordnance Survey of Ireland Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI; ) was the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland. It was established on 4 March 2002 as a body corporate. It was the successor to the former Ordnance Survey of Ireland. It and the Ordnance Survey of ...

(O.S.I.),

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, 2012. The Burn Dale flows on through Ballindrait, and enters the

River Foyle The River Foyle () is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of the island of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Ty ...

about a mile north-north-east of Lifford Bridge. One of the highlights for Deele College in recent years came in November 2002, when

Her Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer, academic, author, and former politician who served as the president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997, ...

President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...

, visited the school. Other such visitors to the school have included Nobel Prize–winning politician

John Hume John Hume (18 January 19373 August 2020) was an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. A founder and leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Hume served in the Parliament of Northern Irel ...

and former head of Coca-Cola and television personality Sir Gerry Robinson . Students who have attended the school have gone on to many in third level institutions all across the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in recent years.

Facilities

The school contains first class sporting facilities with a gym, three pitches (one of which is astroturfed). Prefabricated Accommodation was erected at the school in 2008. A school library was constructed in 2009 and a new staff room is to be completed in 2010 Due to increasing number of students attending Deele College, provision has been approved for a new extension to the school, costing approximately €3 million. The new extension will consist of 2 new floors added to the school, linked via a corridor connecting to the old school building. New science facilities, art room and computer labs are just a few of the many facilities that will be provided. In January 2013, the design plans were complete and approved by the Department of Education and Skills. The extension also provides a fitness suite for the adjoining sports hall. The extension was officially opened in May 2016 by Joe McHugh, T.D..

Alumni

* Tyler Toland (b. 2001) - professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

; Blackburn Rovers W.F.C.

References

External links

{{coord missing, County Donegal Raphoe Secondary schools in County Donegal 1965 establishments in Ireland Educational institutions established in 1965