Rockbrook Park School
Location
Rathfarnham , County Dublin Ireland
Coordinates	53°15′46″N 6°18′01″W / 53.262775°N 6.30033°W / 53.262775; -6.30033
Information
School type	fee-paying secondary (or Middle & High school)
Motto	Inter medium montem pertransibunt aquae Latin for "The river will always find a way through the mountains"
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic Opus Dei
Established	1971
Founder	Sean McDermott[1]
Chairperson	Barry O'Grady (acting)
Principal	Jude Mulligan
Gender	Boys
Age	12-13 to 17-18
Enrollment	167 (2020[2])
National ranking	317
School fees	€4,240/year
Website	Official website

Rockbrook Park School is a fee-paying, secondary school for boys, located on Edmondstown Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, Ireland. It was established by a group of parents, partly inspired by the work of the founder of Opus Dei.

History

The school was founded in 1971, first as a "pre-university centre" at 144-116 St Stephen's Green, offering repeat Leaving Cert classes for students. In 1972, classes were expanded. Later, in 1975, the school moved to Rockbrook House and surrounding forty acres buying them from John Brown, who was retiring as chief brewer with Guinness and moving back to England. The price paid was £75,000 Irish pounds. In the summer of 1980, five classrooms and a number of small mentoring rooms were added at a cost of £44,000 Irish pounds.^[1]

In 2006-2008, Rockbrook took on the biggest step in its history, building a brand new school building, car park, sports pavilion, and two new soccer pitches costing €5 million.^[3]

School ethos

Rockbrook's education is grounded on a "Christian understanding of the world and of the human person".^{[citation needed]} The school "welcomes and respects students of other beliefs and accommodates these insofar as is practical".^{[citation needed]} The school states that it "fosters a respect for others, regardless of talents, race, colour, creed or social standing".^{[citation needed]}

The founding parents were reportedly inspired by St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. St Josemaria’s teaching about the value of "one's ordinary work as a stepping stone to God impacts on the school’s approach to encouraging hard work, excellence and a spirit of service within the school community".^{[citation needed]}

Sports

Rockbrook' first sports are soccer and orienteering, and it has had a number of championship successes in both sports.^{[citation needed]} It has Ireland's first padel tennis court.^{[citation needed]}