A New School For A New Millennium
(Ballindine Post,Issue 18, Summer '97)
Ballindine national School was built in 1842 with Lord Oranmore and Browne as the Manager. Its pupils endured the famine, witnessed the Fenian Rising and some met Michael Davitt. Many of its pupils fought for Ireland's freedom and now 155 years later, it is past time for the old school to retire. The school began as two classrooms and two teachers, one upstairs for the girls and one downstairs for the boys. In fact, it was considered as two schools with two distinct roll numbers until they were both amalgated in 1969 under one roll number (the original boys school number) and it became co-ed.
Thomas Corcoran was the boys teacher but we don't know who taught the girls as the records are lost. Thomas's daughter Ann Nolan was definitely teaching there in the 1890's until she died in 1893 and Miss Eliza Kelly began teachng there around that time.
The girls entered via a door at the front of the school (that door is now a window) and went up a narrow winding stairs to their classroom. The windows were smaller then and a pulley was used to open those on the church side of the school. The boys entered via a porch on the church side and then straight into their downstairs classroom. There was one chimney.
As the years went by and the number of pupils increased, an extra teacher was employed but the two teachers had to teach in the same classroom. This often led to arguments between the teachers especially in winter when there was only one fire and it came to deciding which teacher got the end with the fire. One pupil from the 1920's remembers Mrs. Winnifred Rodgers, the Assistant , wore her hair caught up in a tight knot called a bun. One winter morning the principal, Miss Kelly, caught Mrs. Rodgers by the bun and dragged her to the far end of the classroom, so she could have the fire for herself. The children had to bring two sods of turf to school each morning and Miss Kelly kept a watchful eye right inside the door where you placed your turf in a basket before climbing the stairs. If you came without the turf, you got caned.
The floor boards were well worn by then and when the girls swept the floor, the dust fell down on the boys heads underneath. The teachers in the Boy's School in thd '20s were James P. Griffith and Mrs. Gertrude nee Smyth. Sometimes a child's foot went through the floor boards. The children hoped Miss Kelly would do the same but she always escaped.
The rev. thomas Morris P.P. took over management of the school in 1922 when we got our own Government and the teaching of Irish was introduced. The teachers in the Boys School went off on an Irish Course and afterwards all names in the roll book were written in Irish. However the two teachers in the Girls School do not seem to have attended any Irish Course and the girls names continued to be entered in English until two new teachers were appointed in 1929. However, they did teach Irish to the best of their ability.
In 1935 the classrooms were divided in two by partitions and a second chimney added. An extra classroom was added to the Girls School (though it was downstairs) in 1950 - Fr. John Keenan, (Columban Father now in the Philippnes) remembers serving Mass at its opening. In1 967 central heating and flush toilets were installed.
Now remember in 1842 what was meant to be one classroom is today in 1997 divided in two between sixty children. We need a new school urgently.
The local contribution for the new school is approximately £90,000. As there are only 75 families attending the school, we need the help of our past pupils and friends.
Our major fund-raiser is a Monster Draw for a Renault Clio Surprise Car, a Holiday worth £2,500, kitchen Appliances, Televisions, Shoppong Vouchers and manymore prizes. tickets cost £50 and are available from the committee members and local businesses.
If you have happy memories of Ballindine school, then think of your £50 as a retirement contribution to the old school.
If, on the other hand, you hold bitter memories of Ballindine school, then consider the £50 ticket as helping to hammer another nail in its coffin.
Please help us give our children what they deserve - a new school for the New Millennium.
Fund Raising Committee:
Frank Hyland (Chairman), Mary Coen (Secretary), Louis
Prendergast (Treasurer), Mary Glynn (Treasurer), Patricia Hennigan,
Cathy Slattery, Muriel Costello, Martina Hennelly, Rose Kearns, Liam
McNamara and Richard Dooley.
For more article from the Ballindine Post and information on ordering see the Ballindine Post home page.
