History of School

 

In 1972, following a report entitled “Investment in Education”, an intensive programme of rationalization was embarked upon and the new child-centered curriculum was introduced. Almost one thousand one–teacher schools and a large number of two-teacher schools were closed using the decline in rural population as the main reason for such changes.

St Patrick’s National School (then known as Drumshanbo Central School) first opened its doors to pupils (189) and teachers in November 1974.  It was built on church land donated by the parish. It followed a pattern, happening all over the country at the time, of closing small schools and centralising them in towns and villages.  It represented an amalgamation of Drumshanbo NS (now called Áras Pádraig), Aughagrania NS, Corderay NS and Cormongan NS. Philip Fee was the contractor in charge of the building.  The first manager of the school was Fr. McHale.

The school was expected to open in the first week of Sept 1974. The opening had to be deferred because of delays in delivery of furniture. So, the students returned to their former schools,  Drumshanbo, Aughagrania, Corderay and Cormongan for a few months.

There were six classrooms and six teachers, to begin with. The principal was Mr. Patrick O’Keeffe (retired 1997). He was appointed on July 1^st in the summer of 1974 but, because the new building was not ready, he taught in Drumshanbo NS until November. With him was Mrs. Bríd McMorrow. She was appointed as vice-principal in the new school. Mrs. Nancy Woods was principal in Aughagrania NS until the amalgamation, when she joined the teaching staff of the central school. Mrs. Sarah Doyle was principal of Cormongan NS until it was amalgamated into the central school. Both Mrs. Doyle and Mrs. Woods were the only teachers in their respective schools. Corderay NS had two teachers before it closed – Mrs. Peggy Lynch was the principal and she worked with Ms. Minnie Conway. Both women joined the teaching staff of the new school in November 1974. These six teachers established a commitment to high standards of education, and, most importantly, to the well-being and happiness of the children in their care. It is not surprising then that the motto of the school forty years later is ‘friendship and learning’.

Mr. Paddy O’Keeffe recalls that the teachers met on November 11^th and that the school opened to receive children on November 12^th. The teachers had met during the summer to standardise book lists and to allocate classes. (The inspector, Pádraig Lynch was involved in class allocation).

We can only imagine the mixed feelings of the local community, teachers and the pupils – on the one hand, they were probably proud of a lovely new school and excited to be part of its opening. On the other hand, no doubt many were saddened by the closure of the small, local schools which generations of the same family had attended. Many children would have travelled to the new school for the first time on the bus – a new adventure.

Drumkeelanmore NS joined a year later in 1975. The principal in 1974 was Mrs. Foran. She was due to retire the following year and was reluctant to leave her school when she had only one more year to teach. Therefore, when the school closed in 1975, the second teacher from Drumkeelanmore NS, Mrs. Sheila McMorrow, became the seventh member of staff.

The next appointment in 1977 was Mrs. Elsie McWeeney, replacing Ms. Conway who retired. When Mrs Sheila McMorrow retired in March 1978, she was replaced by Mrs. Nora McGovern. Both Mrs. McWeeney and Mrs. McGovern were residents in the town but had been teaching in Greaghnafarna NS, Arigna.

 

Numbers continued to grow and there followed in 1979 the appointment of Mrs. Pauline McGonigle and Mrs. Úna Brennan. By this stage, an extension had been built to accommodate the growing numbers, comprising of two classrooms and an office.

The next teacher to be appointed was Mrs. Patricia O’Connor in 1981. She recalls that there were 290 on roll at the time and she was the 11^th teacher to be appointed. She was the first teacher to fulfill a remedial role. The appointment of a remedial (learning support) teacher was an important development for the school at the time. Patricia retired in June 2015.

When Mrs. Sarah Doyle retired in 1982, she was replaced by her son, Des. Mr. Doyle had been covering a maternity leave in the school when he was appointed in a permanent capacity. Ms. Ann Barrett was also appointed in 1982 again because of growing numbers and when she left after a year she was replaced by Ms. Máirín O’Keeffe in 1983.

At this stage, the hall had to be used as a classroom as the school was overcrowded. Eventually, the old town school was reopened to accommodate junior and senior infants – now known as Áras Padraig. Ms. Máirín O’Keeffe returned for a year at this time and then moved again in November 1991 because of falling numbers. The sad and sudden death of Mrs Pauline McGonigle occurred in June 1990. She was only 39 at the time of her death.

After 15 years of teaching in the school, Mrs. Nora McGovern retired in 1993.

In 1994 Mr. Des Doyle was moved to Killenummery NS due to falling numbers in the school.

In 1995 the special needs class was established, and Ms. Patricia O’Neill was appointed as teacher. This was a very important development for the school. The class was eventually replaced by the first Autism Class.

Mrs. Nancy Woods retired from teaching in 1996. Ms. Orla Kenny was appointed as her replacement and worked in the school from 1996 – 1997.

After 23 years of dedicated work, Mr. Paddy O’Keeffe, the first principal of the school retired in 1997 and Mr. Des Doyle was appointed.

Ms. Bríd O’Keeffe was appointed to the Special Needs class in February 1997.  She moved to Ballyfarnon NS in May 2000 and was replaced by Ms. Melissa Higgins.

The death of Ms. Patricia O’Neill occurred in 1999. Patricia had a long battle with cancer. Those who worked with her recall her with great affection as a teacher and a friend.

Mrs. Elsie McWeeney & Mrs. Bríd Mc Morrow retired in 2000. Mrs. Úna Brennan then became the vice-principal. Mrs. Ruth McLoughlin and Mr. Pádraig Kenny were appointed to replace the retired teachers. Pádraig worked in the school until 2002 when he was appointed as principal of St. Hugh’s NS in Dowra. The first school secretary, Mrs. Mary Doyle, was appointed in September 2000.

In September 2003, Mrs. Orla Walsh (Scollan) was appointed and is currently working as part of the Special Education team.

Mrs. Clare Mc Cabe (Mc Loughlin) was appointed in 2005. She is currently teaching 5^th class.

Ms. Regina Mc Loughlin was appointed in 2006 as the teacher for the special class. She is now part of the Special Education Team.

Mrs. Peggy Lynch retired in 2007, the last remaining member of the original staff of six. Mrs. Úna Brennan retired in 2011 and Mrs. Ruth McLoughlin was appointed as Deputy Principal.

In 2007 – in the middle of the Celtic Tiger era – a sudden increase in numbers caused the appointment of three teachers on the one day – Mrs. Louise Brennan, Ms. Jeannette Reynolds and Mr. Stephen Keane.  Jeannette and Louise are still working in the school.  Stephen moved on from the school in 2022 to successfully pursue other professional avenues. 

The death of Mrs. Mary Doyle in 2009 saddened all who knew her and worked with her. Mary worked side by side with her husband Des, for the well-being and the betterment of the school. She was the secretary of the school before such a post even existed. The staff and pupils mourned her loss with Des. There is a bench in the garden at the front of the school to commemorate her time in the school.

Ms. Aisling Kelly (Brennan) was appointed in 2009 and departed in 2022. Mrs. Maria McGoldrick (Mc Morrow) was permanently appointed in 2011. Mr. John Molloy was also appointed in 2011. Mrs. Fran Battle was appointed in 2012. She worked in our Autism class until 2019.

In 2014, after 17 years of committed service to the school, Mr. Des Doyle retired as principal of the school. His legacy is evident in the atmosphere of friendship and learning in the school, in the warmth and inclusiveness of the school community and in the modern well-maintained facility he has left behind. Mrs. Máirín O’Keeffe was appointed as principal from September 1^st 2014. She was a pupil in the school when it opened in 1974.

In September 2014, Fr. Burke was moved to a parish in Ferbane. Fr. Burke had served in the parish and on the Board of Management of the school for 21 years and oversaw many of the changes during his tenure. Fr. Murray came to our parish and to our Board of Management, also in September 2015.

Mrs. Patricia O’Connor retired, after many years of diligent service, in June 2015 and Ms. Kathy Keegan replaced Patricia. Ms. Sinéad Rogers and Ms. Michelle Kelly were appointed to the school in 2016.  Sinéad became a permanent member of staff in 2017 and became the teacher of our second Autism Class that opened in the school that year. Mrs. Martina Duignan, Mrs. Maureen McNamara and Mrs. Ciara Tiernan (McTigue) were appointed to the teaching staff in 2017. Michelle was made permanent in 2018. Ms. Rachel Noone started with us in 2019.  Martina became permanent in 2019. Maureen, Ciara and Rachel all became permanent members of staff in 2022. 

Ms. Áine Smith joined the staff in 2021 and is now a permanent member of our staff, teaching Third Class. Mrs. Emma Earley joined the staff in 2022 and is now a permanent member of our staff, teaching in our third Autism Class which opened in September 2024.

The appointment of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to the school has been another significant development in the life of the school. Again, it is hard to imagine how the school could manage without them. The first to be permanently appointed was Mrs. Jo Cox in 2001, despite being part of the staff since 1996. Mrs. Cox retired on September 1st 2017.  Mrs. Donna Flynn was appointed in 2005, Mrs. Julie Durkin in 2006 and Ms. Deborah Kehoe in 2012, with Sinéad Dolan, Ann Flood, and Samantha Gaffney (Cullen) were appointed in 2017. Mrs. Olive Murphy joined the staff in 2018. Mrs. Davinya Sheehan and Mrs. Sharon McGovern were appointed in 2022. Mrs. Caolann Scollan, Ms. Sinéad Dolan and Mr. Dylan Easterbrook joined the staff in September 2024. They are involved in every aspect of school life and provide immeasurable support to pupils and teachers alike.

Over the past 50 years, the school community – like every other school community has experienced its share of joys and sorrows. The joy of the school is in the daily interactions of the children and the staff. Everyone who has worked in the school has fond recollections of stories told, songs sung, pictures drawn, matches played, plays, concerts, tours, ceremonies and parties. Visitors always comment on the lovely, welcoming atmosphere in the school.

But there have been sad days too. The death of Kevin Gilchriest, a pupil in fourth class, in September 1990 and Conor Campbell in April 2020 were two of the saddest and most shocking events, remembered with great sorrow by all who taught them and who worked in the school at that time.

The school has lost many members of its community over the last fifty years – parents, past pupils, board members and teachers. The photographic records so well displayed, remind us of many friends that we have lost, but that we still remember.

Máirín retired in August 2022 after 39 years of dedicated service to education.  We owe her a huge thank you for all she has done for our school community.  She worked tirelessly and diligently during her eight years as Principal of St. Patrick’s National School.  Mrs. Ruth Mc Loughlin replaced Mrs. Máirín O’ Keeffe as principal in September 2022 and Mrs. Órla Walsh then became vice principal replacing Ruth. 

Of the current staff in the school, Mrs. Ruth McLoughlin, Mrs. Clare Mc Cabe, Mrs. Orla Walsh, Ms. Jeannette Reynolds, Ms. Sinéad Rogers, Mrs. Maureen McNamara, Mrs. Ciara Tiernan, Mrs. Caroline Flynn, Ms. Deborah Kehoe, Mrs. Emma Earley, Mr. Raymond Mc Govern, Mr. Maurice Cullen, Ms. Stephanie Reynolds, Ms. Sinéad Dolan and Ms. Colleen Blessing are past pupils.

The school has benefited greatly from a committed and skilled caretaker – Maurice Cullen, helped now by his son Andrew – a past pupil. Maurice was appointed in 1997. The McGovern family have been cleaning the school for many years – another key part of the team that makes up the school community.

This short history of the school was compiled with the help of many of those who have retired from teaching in the school. Sincere thanks to them all.