Educational Supplies in Ireland for Home Educators

Sourcing curriculum materials in Ireland is more manageable than it looks from the outside, but it requires knowing where to look. The Irish home education market is small enough that dedicated local suppliers are limited, while international resources designed for the UK or US need adaptation for an Irish context. Here is a practical map of where families actually buy materials — and what to prioritise.

Irish-Specific Curriculum Materials

For families following an Irish-aligned curriculum — either the Primary School Curriculum or the Junior/Senior Cycle specifications — the starting point is the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and Scoilnet.

Scoilnet (scoilnet.ie) is the Department of Education's official educational portal, hosting thousands of free lesson plans, worksheets, interactive activities, and resource collections aligned to the Irish curriculum from junior infants through Leaving Certificate. For home educators, it functions as a free alternative to expensive workbook subscriptions. The resources are searchable by subject, level, and strand. This should be the first stop for any curriculum-aligned material — before spending anything.

Educational Company of Ireland (Edco) is the country's largest publisher of school textbooks and workbooks, covering all primary and secondary subjects. Edco sells directly through its website and through major bookshops. The primary mathematics and literacy workbooks are widely used by home educators because they are structured, sequenced, and Irish curriculum-aligned. Prices are comparable to UK equivalents — primary workbooks typically €6–€12 each.

Folens is the other major Irish educational publisher, particularly strong in primary school Irish language materials, maths, and SESE (Social, Environmental, and Scientific Education). Folens also sells direct via its website.

CJ Fallon publishes popular primary reading schemes and secondary level subject textbooks. Their website allows direct purchase, or you can find their titles in Eason branches across the country.

General Bookshops and Stationery

Eason (nationwide, plus online) stocks a range of primary and secondary school textbooks and workbooks from all three Irish publishers. The school supplies section typically expands significantly in August and September. For home educators purchasing mid-year, online ordering is more reliable than in-store availability.

The Pen Shop and local stationery independents are worth checking for art supplies, maths equipment (compasses, protractors, rulers), and science consumables. Larger towns tend to have at least one independent stationery supplier who stocks more variety than the big chains.

Second-hand textbooks: The Irish Schools Book Exchange Facebook group and local community Facebook groups frequently list second-hand textbooks for €2–€6. Given that some secondary-level textbooks cost €25–€35 new, the second-hand market is worth monitoring before purchasing a full subject set.

UK Suppliers That Ship to Ireland

Because the home education community is larger in the UK, the range of dedicated home education materials from British suppliers is considerably broader. Most ship to Ireland at reasonable cost.

Collins and CGP both publish popular revision guides and workbooks aligned to the UK national curriculum. For subjects like Maths and Science, the content overlap with the Irish curriculum is sufficient that these guides are useful — particularly at secondary level. CGP's style (cartoon illustrations, deliberately irreverent tone) appeals to teenagers who find standard textbooks dry.

TTS Group and Hope Education sell classroom manipulatives, science equipment, art materials, and early years resources. For home educators needing physical maths resources (base ten blocks, fraction tiles, geometric solids), these are reliable suppliers. Shipping to Ireland from UK suppliers adds approximately €8–€15 per order depending on weight.

Amazon UK remains a practical source for international educational publishers not available in Irish bookshops — Singapore Maths materials, Teaching Textbooks, Classical Conversations resources, or any curriculum that comes from the US or UK home education market. For US-published materials, ordering via Amazon UK avoids US customs delays and reduces shipping cost.

Art, Craft, and Science Consumables

Hickey's Fabrics and Crafts (Dublin, Limerick, Cork — and online) stocks extensive art and craft supplies at reasonable prices. For home educators who use project-based learning or Charlotte Mason methods, Hickey's is a reliable source for paints, papers, fabrics, and mixed media supplies.

Mr. Price and Dealz are worth checking for basic craft consumables — card, glue sticks, construction paper, modelling clay — at very low prices. Neither stocks educational materials per se, but for consumables used in volume, buying from discount retailers keeps costs manageable.

Science experiments and STEM kits: The Irish Science Teachers' Association maintains links to supplier lists on its website. For home educators doing practical science, Molymod (molecular modelling kits) and RS Components Ireland (electronics, Arduino boards for older children) are specialist sources. For younger children, the Lakeshore Learning and Learning Resources ranges (available via Amazon UK) offer well-designed manipulatives.

Free and Low-Cost Digital Resources

Khan Academy covers Maths and Science from primary through to CAO preparation level, entirely free. The maths progression aligns reasonably well with the Irish curriculum sequence and the adaptive practice system is particularly useful for children who need to fill gaps at their own pace.

Duolingo and Rosetta Stone serve Irish language learners outside the formal school system, though neither matches the depth available through Scoilnet's Irish language resources or through a competent native-speaking tutor.

YouTube channels from Irish teachers — particularly for Junior and Leaving Certificate subjects — have expanded significantly. Searching for "Junior Cycle Maths explained" or "Leaving Cert Chemistry notes" returns a range of Irish teacher-created content that maps directly to the exam specifications.

Budgeting for Educational Supplies

A 2026 feasibility study on Irish home education found that 69% of home-educating families operate on a household income of €50,000 or less. The assumption that home education requires expensive packaged curricula is not accurate — the majority of Irish home-educating families piece together resources from a combination of Scoilnet (free), Edco or Folens workbooks (€30–€80 per child per year for core subjects), library books, and low-cost digital subscriptions.

The most expensive year is typically the first, when families over-purchase out of anxiety. Buying one or two workbooks per subject to start, supplementing with Scoilnet and library resources, and joining the HEN Ireland Facebook community to swap materials with other families is a practical approach that keeps first-year costs reasonable.

For a full picture of how Irish home-educating families structure their weeks — including activities, community programmes, and extracurriculars — the Ireland Socialization & Extracurricular Playbook covers all the practical infrastructure, from Comhaltas music classes to CoderDojo to GAA registration.

See more Ireland homeschool guides →