Dominican College is a Catholic grammar all-girls school in Fortwilliam Park, north Belfast, Northern Ireland.
History The school was established in 1930 by the Dominican Sisters. It was initially established as a Catholic commercial college for Belfast, alongside a second-level school. In 2006, the management of the school passed from the Dominican Sisters to lay management. The school is now under the trusteeship of the Cabra Dominican Sisters, with a board of governors whose membership also includes parents, a teacher and appointees of the Education Authority.
In 2005 it underwent a major £13.1 million redevelopment.
The school chapel has been listed as a building of special architectural merit.
In 2017, the total student population was just over 1000, a quarter of it the sixth form.
Academics In 2019 the school was ranked 5th out of 159 secondary schools in Northern Ireland with 91.7% of its A-level students who sat the exams in 2017/18 being awarded three A*-C grades.
In 2018 it was ranked joint ninth in Northern Ireland for its GCSE performance with 99.3% of its entrants receiving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including the core subjects English and Maths.
Facilities The modernist design of the chapel, which was built in 1964, was influenced by Le Corbusier's chapel at Ronchamp in France.
Alumnae
Eileen Bell CBE (born 1943) – politician, Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Down from 1998 to 2007 Marianne Elliott OBE (born 1948) – academic historian. Medbh McGuckian (born 1950) – poet Katie Melua (born 1984) – Georgian-born popular singer Nuala McAllister (born 1989) – politician; Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Belfast from 2022
See also Dominicans in Ireland List of secondary schools in Belfast List of Grammar schools in Northern Ireland
References
External links