TU Dublin host School of Sanctuary Awards
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On Monday, 2 March 2026, Schools of Sanctuary Ireland hosted a national award ceremony at Technological University Dublin, where eight schools from across Ireland officially received their “Champion School of Sanctuary” awards. The event was organised with assistance from TU Dublin's Recruitment, Admissions and Participation team.
Schools of Sanctuary is a programme that recognises and supports schools in creating inclusive, welcoming, and safe environments for all students and families, particularly those from refugee, migrant, Traveller, and other minority communities. The celebration included two new primary and six new post-primary schools with approximately 140 young people attending.
The ceremony was hosted by TU Dublin, who received their University of Sanctuary accreditation last year. This accreditation is granted to universities that demonstrate exceptional commitment to supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and others from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds. It acknowledges the university’s efforts to create a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging and is empowered to succeed.
Speaking at the event, Gerard Howlin, Chair of the TU Dublin Governing Body said:
“TU Dublin is honoured to host the Schools of Sanctuary Champion Awards and to welcome students and teachers from across Ireland to our campus. As a university, we are proud to lead nationally in widening participation, with the highest number of access students in the country and strong representation of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, students with disabilities, and members of the Traveller community. Inclusion is central to our mission. We are committed to creating a community where every student feels valued, supported and empowered to succeed. These Champion Schools of Sanctuary reflect those same values of welcome and belonging, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements today.”
Presenting the awards, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam, said:
“The young people in our Champion Schools of Sanctuary are showing what is possible when schools truly embrace and embed welcome, inclusion and belonging. They are creating communities where every student feels valued, respected and at home. Through their commitment and compassion, they are helping to shape a confident, diverse and inclusive Ireland. I am incredibly proud of their achievement and honoured to celebrate this important milestone with them.”
The schools being awarded as Champion Schools of Sanctuary are:
- Bremore Educate Together Secondary School, Balbriggan, Co.Dublin
- St Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
- St Joseph’s C.B.S. Primary School, Drogheda, Co. Louth
- St Mary’s College, Naas,Co. Kildare
- Castletown Girls' School, Dundalk, Co.Louth
- St Joseph’s C.B.S. Secondary School, Drogheda, Co. Louth
- Marino College, Fairview, Dublin 3
- CBS James’s Street, The Liberties, Dublin 8
The schools each gave a short performance on inclusivity and what being a school of sanctuary means to the students. Special guest Zak Moradi, Kurdish-Irish hurler and former Leitrim senior player, also addressed the students. Moradi is the subject of the documentary HOME: The Story of Zak Moradi, which follows his journey from a refugee camp in Iraq to building a life in Ireland. The film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2024 and was later included in RTÉ’s summer 2025 documentary line-up.
Dr Veronica Crosbie, Chairperson of Places of Sanctuary Ireland, added:
“The Schools of Sanctuary award ceremony is an opportunity for primary and secondary schools to come together to celebrate and showcase the outstanding integration initiatives taking place across Ireland’s educational landscape. This important cultural work, happening during a formative time in young people’s lives, helps to strengthen core values of equality, diversity and inclusion, enabling everyone in society to flourish.”
As well as celebrating diversity in all its forms, through activities and events in the school and the local community all of the schools acknowledged have built knowledge and understanding among the students and the staff about forced migration due to violence, persecution, famine and other threats to life and freedom. Many schools also boast exceptionally strong language support programmes for students whose first language is not English.
Congratulations to all the students involved in the ceremony today.
Find out more about Schools of Sanctuary Ireland