About us
Coláiste Íde (Burnham House) is the only surviving all-Irish full-time, girls second-level boarding school. Located in the Dingle Peninsula approximately two miles from Dingle town, Coláiste Ide was established in 1928 and is partly housed in the former residence of Lord Ventry, Burnham House, which was originally built in 1790. The school was run as a preparatory college by the Sisters of Mercy until 1961 and as an all-Irish secondary school for girls until 1996. In 1996 the Sisters of Mercy decided to close the college however a group of parents got together and formed a company called Cairde Choláiste Íde Teo. In 1996, Cairde Choláiste Íde acquired the College on a limited lease period, for a ‘peppercorn’ rent. That lease has been extended for a 30-year period. The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy gifted Coláiste Íde and the Estate to Cairde Choláiste Íde Teoranta in August 2014.
The overall property runs to an impressive 107 acres (57 of which are woodland). At present, Coláiste Ide attracts a significant number of visitors/tourists to its impressive gardens and display of Ogham Stones.