Glenstal Abbey School

Since January 2022 Marius Carney, BA MPhil. Educated at Queens University, Belfast, followed by Cambridge University where he studied medieval history.

The first lay headmaster to lead the school, Mr Carney (called Marius by staff and boys alike) is a Belfast native with a family history in teaching and a long career in Catholic education in the UK. Previously he was principal of English Martyr’s Catholic school in Leicester, UK, for 14 years.

He has made the transition to leading a boarding school with ease and still pinches himself as he walks home at the end of the day past lakes, streams and through woodland. As he says, ‘It’s not a bad commute!’ An accomplished musician, he is delighted to be able to pop across to the chapel and practise the organ when time allows. He rehearses and conducts the school choir (which performs each Sunday at mass) and last year he led the choir on a trip to Rome where one of his life’s ambitions was realised - conducting the boys in St Peter’s Basilica at morning mass.

We meet in the oak parlour, Mr Carney’s office within the castle building, with bookcases and wood panelling throughout, a decorated ceiling and two old gun ‘presses’ (Irish for cupboards) each side of the fireplace. He half jokes that he wants to ‘make changes to the school without anyone noticing.’ However, while changes he’s made may have been subtle, they have certainly been noticed and the proposed move to a weekly boarding option is a significant shift for the school.

Popular with parents, who credit him with bringing much-needed clarity and order to the running of the school, as well as improving discipline. As one parent said, ‘He cracked the whip.’ He is variously described as ‘authoritative but approachable,’ a ‘tremendous role model,’ and ‘extremely committed to the school’.

We found Mr Carney to be warm and welcoming, generous with his time and demonstrating a great Irish sense of humour. In his spare time, he enjoys classical concerts, is a devoted BBC Radio 4 listener and an avid reader, often with several books on the go at once. He enjoys planning annual summer trips to his beloved Turkey where he spends time exploring ancient sites and catching up on his reading.

Most of the boys are Catholic, but it’s not a requirement for entry. However, boys and their families are expected to respect the values and beliefs of the Benedictine community.

Applications for 1st year entry can be made in the autumn prior to the year of entry for day boarding, or up to two years prior for boarding. For those applying for senior cycle entry (5th year), applications are accepted up to 18 months in advance. Academic selection is illegal in Ireland.

Impressive support for students’ next steps. Two guidance counsellors provide senior cycle (4th, 5th and 6th year) students with psychometric testing, individual meetings and weekly guidance classes. It’s a small school and staff are aware that students are, as one said, ‘big fish in the pond here.’ Preparation for university life and course choice is given real weight. Most students head to Irish universities with over a third to Trinity College or UCD (University College, Dublin). Other destinations include University of Galway, University College, Cork, and University of Limerick. Smaller numbers to UK universities including Imperial College, London, and Oxford and the occasional one to European and American institutions.

The school follows the junior and senior cycles of the Irish Leaving Certificate. It’s more like the IB (International Baccalaureate) than A levels; students take English, maths and Irish (unless exempt) plus a language and then a further three or four elective subjects. Students sit Junior Certificate at the end of 3rd year (15 years old) and the Leaving Certificate in 6th year (17/18 years old)

Results are excellent. In 2024 61 per cent of boys achieved over 500 points in the Leaving Certificate against the national average of 31 percent. Just under 20 per cent of boys achieved the maximum score of 625 points compared with less than two per cent nationally.

The school is proud of its academic tradition and impressive Leaving Cert results. Small classes make for lots of support and parents cite this as one of the reasons for choosing the school, confirming there is close monitoring of students, and they know how their son is doing. The deputy principal said, ‘We don’t let anyone fall through the net here.’ Boys confirmed that staff go out of their way to spend time with them to ensure understanding. One parent said, ‘The teachers have such a handle on the boys.’ Another called senior cycle teachers ‘phenomenal,’ and said, ‘Boys naturally drive each other to achieve’.

Most classrooms are in the newer wing of the school which is in dramatic contrast to the dark stone corridors of the castle itself. These are bright spaces with floor to ceiling windows where the boys look out through the treetops over castle grounds and hills beyond. It would be hard to avoid a bit of daydreaming with such glorious views but classes we visited had boys focused and keenly raising their hands to answer questions.

The Irish curriculum’s Transition Year (TY) is optional in Ireland but compulsory at Glenstal and is one of the highlights of a boy’s time at the school. The idea is that 4th year students get to experience much more than their academic subjects, grow up a bit, try new things and prepare for the hard work approaching in their final two years. One parent said, ‘This TY year has given my son a real appetite for his next two years,’ and 5th year boys we spoke to were still buzzing about what they had got up to the previous year including international exchanges to the USA and Australia, walking the Camino de Santiago and a couple had travelled to Lithuania to present at the North European Schools’ Symposium. There’s still a structure to TY school days and boys carry on with core subjects, have taster lessons in new ones, do work experience, and charitable activities but some fun stuff too. Popular activities include making traditional Irish bodhráns (frame drums), learning how to cut and clip hair (the school has its very own barbershop) plus fine tuning those all-important barista skills.

Learning needs are assessed on entry with relevant support provided by an experienced team. During our visit the large learning support classroom was a hive of quiet activity with boys on laptops being supported by staff. Boys who are exempt from taking Irish for a variety of reasons use those lessons to work with learning support staff.

Music is central to school life and the music department is strong. As one parent said, ‘Singing is as big as rugby here!’ and it’s a real testament to the school and the boys that the school choir is so popular. Mr Carney himself conducts rehearsals and performances and the touring schedule has recently included London’s Westminster Cathedral and the churches of Rome. Performances given locally too, and the choir sings each week at mass.

Instrumental lessons take place after school and include drums, piano, guitar and violin plus traditional Irish instruments. The school jazz band, string ensemble and trad group create opportunities for boys to perform at events such as the ever-popular battle of the bands and the annual Advent arts week, which also showcases boys’ and staff artwork.

Other activities keeping boys busy after school include a chess and board games club, Dungeons and Dragons, debating club, young scientists and coding club. Drama and theatre productions are not top of the list currently but there is a drama club.

The school and abbey have long-held connections with local Limerick charities While aware of its privileged position it takes a considered approach and guards against a ‘solve everything’ attitude. It fundraises for a large local charity and other recent efforts have included the annual shoe box gifting for Limerick families and a Christmas music concert for local adults with learning disabilities.

The keen sportsman is well served here with training and competition a huge part of school life. Rugby is the main team sport with a good few international and club players among alumni. It is serious stuff and, on our visit, a rare one-point defeat in the recent Munster Schools Junior Cup was still hitting hard. In addition, GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) hurling and football, athletics, badminton, basketball, golf, fencing, soccer, horse riding, swimming (in the University of Limerick’s pool), volleyball and tennis are all popular. In some sports, optional coaching is charged extra. The school isn’t large which means more boys make the first team rather than languishing on the bench. With acres of land, plenty of space for four rugby pitches, a soccer pitch, athletics field, sports hall and gym. Boys would love an all-weather pitch for those wetter winter months and school has promised to deliver.

Currently full (seven-day) boarding but with flexibility to go home on weekends and additional evenings as desired. The school is introducing a five-day boarding option with boys to arrive at school on either Sunday evening or Monday morning and depart on Friday evening, with the option to go home on additional evenings still in place. It’s set to be a popular move, being more family friendly, and aims also to support boys who are active in outside sports clubs at weekends. A small number of day boarders stay on for an extended day of sports and extra-curricular activities plus supervised study.

Three boarding houses - junior, inter and senior. Junior dorms are in the castle and are perfectly adequate, tidy and well-kept albeit a little bare perhaps. We are told boys are welcome to put up posters if they wish, but most don’t seem bothered. Mobile phones are handed in at nine o’clock each evening. Final year boarders have their own comfortable rooms and privileges. Common areas are well used with each house having a pantry for snacks. We saw two slices of bread sitting in the junior house toaster suggesting one boy had already planned for his busy after school schedule!

Lots on offer at the weekends with off-site activities including go-karting, movies, ice-skating, swimming, surfing, paintballing and, unsurprising for a rugby-mad school, watching Munster play rugby at home is a particular highlight. The small village of Murroe is a walk away (hi-viz jackets must be worn in winter) and has a couple of shops where boys can buy essentials. There were no serious complaints from the boys about the refectory food and we enjoyed a tasty lunch with veggie option, but Domino’s pizzas are the supper of choice on Saturday nights.

In this small community it’s unsurprising that many staff, parents and boys we spoke to used the word ‘family’ when describing the school. Boys are well cared for and pastoral issues are handled with a light touch, kindness and a real understanding of teenage boys. There are clear structures in place in both boarding and day life with a daily handover between the head of boarding and deputy principal. Boys were able to name a range of individuals they would turn to if they felt they needed to. A new wellness room provides a comfortable space for supportive conversations with boys and there are two counsellors on the staff who can refer to external support services if necessary. Parents are very happy with the school’s pastoral support structures and its focus on male mental health is particularly well received. The oratory (prayer room) is always open – a quiet place for both staff and boys to sit and reflect. When we visited a candle was lit in memory of a loved one.

Uniform is smart but normally relaxed. Boys wear chinos and a ‘shirt with a collar’ so most interpret this as polo shirts, reserving the more formal shirt, tie and blazer for special occasions. It avoids the monotonous uniform nagging from staff. A few boys we saw taking part in interviews wore their more formal uniform immaculately.

Many families have strong historic connections to the school. Others have been influenced by meeting impressive alumni in the outside world. As one such parent told us, ‘I always said if I ever have a boy, I was resolute he would come here.’ Boys spoke of the school being recommended by family or friends or of following older brothers. Most families are local to the school or live in other counties of Ireland with a smaller cohort living and working internationally. There are a small number of international boys, some who come just for a year, but according to the deputy principal, ‘They often stay on afterwards for the Leaving Cert.’ The qualification having great value in their home country.

Families are welcome to attend Sunday mass in the church with coffee served afterwards and each week a different year group plus families stay on for lunch. The annual leavers dinner for 6th year boys and parents is a highlight of the school calendar as is the parents’ ball held every second year. Parents organise informal meals at a local restaurant and there are the usual WhatsApp groups. The annual prizegiving in May is followed by a family picnic in the extensive grounds where, despite this being the west of Ireland, the school has always enjoyed a sunny day so far.

A comfortable guest house run by the monastery in a separate building, provides accommodation for parents visiting from afar. We enjoyed a very warm welcome there and a delicious breakfast including the monks’ infamous porridge!

Set in beautiful surroundings, Glenstal is a traditional academic boys’ boarding school with a strong sporting culture, but not a macho one. Instead, it is a caring school, producing articulate and modern young men. Strong leadership is making its mark, but the school is still imbued with the spirit and ethos of the Benedictine monastery next door. A very special place indeed.