The History of Kilcommon National School

Contributed by Mrs. Mai Ryan.

The first school in Kilcommon was established in 1829 in the Chapel grounds under the patronage of Mr. John Hunt, one of the landlords of the area. The school-house was a two-storied building. Only one room measuring thirty feet by fifteen feet was used (now part of Noel Mc Mahon’s residence). The first teacher was Mr. Ed O’Dwyer. There was no Board of Management responsible for the running of the school.

It has been suggested that this was a Kildare Place Society school but there is no evidence to show that this was the case.

The National School System was set with the implementation of The Stanley Act of 1831. Consequently the school was recognised by the Board of Education in 1835 and became Kilcommon National School. Mr. Ed O’Dwyer received a salary of £12-0-0 per annum. He was replaced in 1847 by Mr. Ed O’Brien. A grant for requisites was approved in February 1848 for the sum of £1-2-6.

In August 1848 Teacher O’Brien was dismissed for “exciting people to insurrection” and his salary ceased from August 31^st.

John Ward was appointed teacher in November 1848.

Mr. James Clark and his wife Ellen were also teachers in the school. James Clark came from Cavan and taught in various hedge schools in the locality prior to being appointed to the school. He was said to have been “a dapper little man with a lovely accent and a very god teacher.” One of his great-great-great-grand-children attends Kilcommon N.S. at present –Jordan Spillane.

The highest attendance recorded was in April 1838 when 84 males and 45 females were enrolled. By 1841 there were three teachers in the school.

A new two-roomed building was constructed in 1885 and functioned as a school until 1960. (It is now the community hall.) There were separate boys’ and girls’ schools, one quite independent of the other, in the one two-roomed building. Each school had its own principal and assistant. Two male teachers taught the boys in one room and two female teachers taught the girls in the other.

These rooms were high and cold. In each classroom there was a large press for storing the roll books, text books, ,halk, plasticine, ink made from a special powder, slates on which the infants wrote, and a ball frame for counting. A blackboard and easel stood in the middle of the room. Each desk had an inkwell and penholder. Pens consisted of a timber handle and a small nib.

The Department of Education introduced the Primary Certificate Examination in 1929 on a voluntary basis. It became compulsory in 1943. This exam was done in Kilcommon N.S. each year until it was abolished in 1967.

Francis Banon, a native of Moyne was Principal until 1915. He was replaced by Tom Lyncy from Co. Clare. On his retirement in 1927, Denis Guinane also from Co. Clare was appointed principal and continued in that post until his death in 1959.

Martin Carey from Coonemore was the assistant teacher in the boys’ school from 1899 until June 1935. In the girls’ school Mrs. Mary Lynch was principal until her retirement in 1931. Mrs. Kate Ryan was assistant and succeeded Mrs. Lynch on her retirement. The post of assistant was then filled by Brigid Deere (later Mrs. Murray) from Cappawhite parish.

On January 1^st 1935 the schools were amalgamated. There were approximately 150 pupils on rolls. Denis Guinane was principal. When Martin Carey retired in June 1935 the number of teachers was left at three. Mary Cummins, a native of Toor, Newport, was appointed assistant in 1937 to fill the vacancy caused by Mrs. Kate Ryan’s retirement. Mary Cummins returned to Toor N.S. in 1948 and was succeeded by Maura Haugh (later Mrs. Ryan-Lacken), another Clare native. At this time there were 96 pupils on rolls. Miss Hangh’s post was suppressed in 1955 because of a decline in enrolments and the school operated with two teachers until its closure in 1960. Mrs Murray (nee Deere) transferred to Rearcross N.S, in January 1956 and Sarah O’Dwyer from Rearcross was appointed in her place on February 1^st 1956. At Easter 1960 Sarah, as acting principal, oversaw the transfer to the “new” school building which dates from 1958.

On Mr. Guinane’s sudden death in 1959 Mary Ryan (Roger), Newport was appointed in a temporary capacity until July 1^st 1960 when Joseph Coffey was appointed principal. He remained until 31^st October 1961. Patrick Maher, Moneygall was principal from 13-12-61 to July 1962. Sarah O’Dwyer was principal from 1962 to 1964. Tom O’Doherty became principal in July 1964 and stayed until June 1966 when Daniel Kenny was appointed. He remained until June 1967. In September 1967 Mary O’Toole (later Ryan) stepped into his shoes and continued as principal until August 31^st 2011 when she was replaced by Eileen Ryan.

Joan Quirke, Hollyford, taught as assistant teacher from July ’62 to November ’63. Nuala Phelan, another Clare native, succeeded Joan and remained until October ’67 when she transferred to Moycullen, Co. Galway. Nora Flanagan (later Ryan) was appointed in November ’67 and worked in the school until her retirement in 2001. Her replacement was Eileen Ryan who started in September 2001. Geraldine Breen succeeded her on 1^st September 2011.

Managers: The Parish Priest was the manager of the school until Fr. T. Hayes P.P. delegated that duty to Fr. J. Stapleton C.C. and then to Fr. D. Woods C.C. That custom ended with the establishment of the Boards of Management in 1975. On March 5^th 2007, Fr. Woods P.P. chairperson of the Board of Management was informed that the Department of Education proposed to include Kilcommon N.S. in the small schools’ scheme whereby control over improvement works was devolved to the school authorities. To comply with regulations the services of Procad Engineering were engaged for the construction. J. J. Carr Construction was then selected by Procad following analysis of the tenders and submission of all necessary documentation. The contracts were signed on August 17^th 2009 and work commenced immediately on the building of two new classrooms with toilets and storerooms ensuite.

The rooms were occupied on April 12^th 2010. These classrooms are fitted out with computers, teacher laptops, projectors, interactive whiteboards, visualisers, printers, scanner and photocopier.

The building is centrally heated throughout and has hot and cold water on tap. Shelving units are installed in each room. There is an emergency exit door in each room also.

A wheelchair-access toilet is incorporated into the existing building, the refurbishment of which began in November 2010. The old girls’ toilets were converted into a staffroom. The boys’ toilets were modified to cater for boys and girls. Internal doors and all windows were replaced. The electrical works were upgraded. A new heating and alarm system were installed. The two existing classrooms were converted into a General Purpose hall with an emergency exit door. The Summer Scheme was availed of in 2009 to put a new roof on the existing building. All rooms have been decorated, the yard laid with tarmac and landscaping done. A new boundary wall was built. Work on the project finished in July 2011.

There is now in Kilcommon a fine facility to cater for the educational needs of present and future generations.