Tag Archives: Barefield National School

LESSONS in fun really are child’s play at Barefield National School which last week officially launched a major expansion of its outdoor facilities. A new playground, ball wall and walking / running track has been added to the local school while an astroturf pitch was previously installed. The new facilities were developed as part of a €120,000 project with Deputy Principal Peadar McMahon telling us they have been a big hit with the pupils of the school. “The playground, ball wall, walking / running track and astroturf are just fabulous. All of the students are absolutely delighted, it’s gone down really, really super with them,” he said. The development has been an ambition of the school for a while, and last year they were successful in securing planning permission from Clare County Council. Mr McMahon outlines, “The idea had come up at various boards of management meetings over the years, it was first mentioned in 2015. “The present board of …

A LOCAL primary school is set to expand its outdoor facilities for pupils. Barefield National School on the outskirts of Ennis has been given the green light by Clare County Council for plans to develop a 5m hurling practice wall and a school playground facility. The application for planning permission for the development was made by the Board of Management of Barefield National School. The proposed playground will have a total area of 275sqm and will be surrounded by a high green coated fence. In assessing the application, planners with Clare County Council noted that the lands are zoned for ‘community’ development and the site of the hurling wall and play area is within the curtilage off the overall school. With this in mind planners determined that the proposed development would be acceptable in principle. The hurling wall is planned to be constructed within the existing pitch / green area to the east of the school. Planners found “no adverse …

THE Barefield National School Choir has been named as a finalist in a national Christmas carol competition. The primary school is among 11 finalists in the Audiology Medical Services Online Christmas Carol Competition, and needs votes from the public to win. There is a prize of €2,000 cash for the winning school. A spokesperson for the competition explained, “Having a hearing loss can be challenging at any time of the year, but none more so than during the Christmas season. “The aim of this competition is to raise awareness among young people on the importance of hearing, and how important the sounds of Christmas are to us all, such as Christmas Carols.” To cast your vote for Barefield NS check https://bit.ly/31Ba7Fe and voting closes Sunday, December 19.

MORE than 350 children in 12 primary schools across Clare, Galway, Limerick and Tipperary have learned more about biodiversity and how to reduce waste, reuse and recycle, thanks to an environmental initiative run by global healthcare technology company, Zimmer Biomet as part of the Junior Achievement outreach program. Under the initiative, dubbed Keen to Keep it Green, the Shannon based employer donated trees and wildflowers and its employees visited schools to plant the trees, wildflowers and run litter clean-ups. The programme was conducted in full compliance with COVID-19 regulations and public health guidelines. Among the local schools involved was Barefield National School with deputy principal Peadar McMahon saying, “We thoroughly enjoyed participating in your Keen to Keep it Green initiative. “We have planted four beautiful trees and decorated our garden with colourful flowers in conjunction with your dedicated employees.” He added that the initiative helped raise awareness of the importance of taking care of our environment and respecting nature all around us. “Thank you – …

John Burns can look back on a lifetime of achievement as he steps down as principal of Barefield National School THREE small classrooms, a prefab and outdoor toilets, classes of 45 children in a room meant for 20, stepping over school bags to correct children’s work. The early days of John Burns’ professional life at Barefield National School, where he started in 1980, are a far cry from the modern, richly-resourced facility he retires from this Friday. Now into his last week as principal, John recalled the days when white chalk and blackboard were his only teaching aids and the excitement he felt when the school first got coloured chalk. Interactive white boards and the world wide web have opened up children’s horizons, but without passionate and talented teachers, they mean little, and as the tributes made to John this week indicate, his passion and talent has made a major impact on his community. The journey ahead for John began …

GAA PRESIDENT Liam O’Neill has said young boys need to be treated sensitively, when playing hurling or football, to help ensure that their emotional growth is not stunted as they get older. He was speaking at aweek-long Gaelic Games Made Easy course in Barefield National School for primary school teachers, organised by Peadar McMahon and Joe Garry. “I was talking to the teachers in terms of attempts now being made to help young adults to express their feelings and to avoid people thinking that they’re alone if they have any difficulty. We’re working very closely with the Samaritans, with Pieta House and with any group of who would help in a situation where people find themselves in difficulty,” Mr O’Neill outlined to The Clare Champion after he had addressed the group of more than 30 teachers. “Young boys aren’t taught the language of emotion early enough. When I was a child if you got a belt you were told ‘big …