The Department of Education has announced the bodies that will run nine new post-primary schools that are due to open across Ireland next year and in 2018.

Four of the new schools, three in Dublin and one in Limerick city, will be run by multi-denominational patron body Educate Together.

Local Education and Training Boards (formerly VECs) will run schools in Limerick and Swords in Dublin and have been awarded a joint patronage arrangement with other organisations in Portlaoise and Lucan.

The Christian Brother's Edmund Rice Schools' Trust will run a new school in the Carpentertstown and Castleknock area.

The new schools are being established to meet growing demographics.

"The establishment of these new schools forms an essential part of plans to ensure that sufficient new school places are in place to cater for the growing cohort of pupils at post-primary level over the coming years," said Minister for Education Richard Bruton.

"Parental preference has become a key determinant in deciding the patronage of new schools and I'm pleased to say that the views of parents as expressed through the process are strongly reflected in the decisions I have made on the patronage of these nine new schools," he added.