Corofin pupils step back in time

THE children of Corofin National School this week got an insight into 175 years of education in the North Clare village.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary celebrations of Scoil Mhuire Náisiúnta, the pupils travelled to its parent and grandparent schools tracking education in the area since 1835.
On Tuesday, the pupils visited Richmond National School, the site of education in the village for five decades.
“That school was established in 1835 and was called Richmond School. It was on the grounds of Richmond House. The house was set up as a Yeomanry barracks for soldiers in the 17th century. By the 1830s, it was the parish priest of Corofin that was living there and the priest who had Richmond School recognised was a man called Fr Donovan. Nine years later, the girls’ school in Corofin was recognised,” Scoil Mhuire principal Declan Kelleher explained.
Among the most notable things the children discovered during their research was that teachers in Richmond School included Irish bard Hugh Mac Cruitín and Michael Cusack, founder of the GAA. They also learned that Michael’s aunt, Mary Cusack, was the principal of the girls’ school.
“We were down at Richmond School on Tuesday and the pupils sang a song there, before continuing across the bridge to our parent school, which was built in 1886. This was known as Corofin Girls and Boys National School and was a two-storey school. The pupils learned that when it was in use the girls would study on the top floor, while the boys would be on the ground floor,” outlined Declan.
“That school lasted until 1950. There was a fire in the upper floor of the school in January 1950 at which time pupils were moved to St Patrick’s Hall in Corofin and both the girls and boys school continued in St Patrick’s School for eight years. It was used as a youth club and for boat-making classes but was purchased in the 1970s by the Murphy family, Steve and Meredith. They did a renovation of the school and invited the children in to see the school building, which is now their home,” he continued.
In 1958, the pupils moved into the new building, Scoil Mhuire Náisúnta, but it wasn’t opened officially until the school year of 1959/60.
“By visiting the schools, the pupils get a feeling for the continuity of education in Corofin over time. They got to stand in the same spot as Michael Cusack would have taught. They also learned that in the Bridge Street school children would have brought in turf for the fireplaces. They could also see that it was so small you had two teachers in one room often. We spoke about the monitors who helped the teachers and they were 15 or 16 years of age and might have gone on to become teachers themselves,” Mr Kelleher explained.
“It sort of gives the children an idea of their place in space that they are not on their own, that it all happened before just in different circumstances,” he said.
The school’s 50th anniversary celebrations peak this weekend with a concert in St Brigid’s Church in Corofin on Friday at which the Shannon, Healy, O’Loughlin and O’Reilly families will perform.
The Scoil Mhuire Náisúnta book is being launched by past pupil of the school, Defence Minister Tony Killeen.
The school will host a collection of more than 1,000 photos of the village with the oldest one dating back to 1894. There will also be an audio-visual display of footage recorded since the late 1970s. This exhibition will continue through Saturday and Sunday.
Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Willie Walsh and past pupil of the school Fr Maurice Harmon while on Sunday, more than 100 people from 20 to 60 years of age have come forward to take part in a football match.
There will also be music in Corofin’s bars on Saturday night.
Further details are available from the school or on its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/people/Scoil-Mhuire-Corofin-Anniversary/100000758397043