Carrigboy National School

History of Carrigboy National School

In the late 19th Century and early 20th Century the children of Durrus village and the surrounding area were educated at "Four Mile Water N.S." so named after the river which flows behind Durrus Village.

In 1914 a new school was built on the site of the old church. This school was named Carrigboy N.S. The name was derived from the townland adjacent to the village in which the school was built.

The school was opened on the 8th of February 1915. It consisted of two large classrooms, divided by a wooden, folding partition, which accommodated four teachers and one hundred and twenty three pupils. Boys and girls were taught separately. Even though the children were in one building, Carrigboy N.S. actually consisted of two schools.
Carrigboy Girls N.S: whose principal was Mrs. Ellen McCarthy and whose assistant was Mary O'Sullivan.
Carrigboy Boys N.S: whose principal was Jeremiah Moynihan and whose assistant was Josephine Moynihan.

This arrangement continued until 1925 when the two schools were amalgamated under the principalship of Michael Gallagher. It functioned as a four-teacher school until the late 1940's when it lost a teacher.

Due to the continuing decline in population, Carrigboy N.S. was reduced to being a two teacher school in the 1950's. It remained as such until 1982 when increased enrolment brought about the appointment of a third teacher.

In 1986/87 extensive repair work was carried out on the old building and a new classroom, foyer, staffroom, toilets and library were added on.

As numbers continued to increase a fourth assistant was appointed in January 1998. This was followed by the appointment of a Learning Support Teacher and a Resource Teacher. In 2008 the school was further extended and modernised with the addition of an extra classroom, a new staffroom, Principal's office, two Learning Support/ Resource rooms and interactive whiteboards in all classrooms.

Today the school has an enrolment of 101 pupils and is one of the finest schools in the locality. It offers its pupils a broad academic curriculum and a healthy love of sport.
The school is a tribute to the hard work of successive Boards of Management and to the generosity of the parents and the community which has contributed to and continues to contribute to the school's development.

Staff from 1915 - 2009

Principal Teachers
Jeremiah Moynihan
Ellen McCarthy
Michael Gallagher
John O'Connell
Helen Burke
Assistant Teachers
Josephine Moynihan
Mary Moynihan (nee O'Sullivan)
Julia Collins
Catherine Gallagher (nee Keane)
Mary O'Brien
Marie Hourihan
Mary Leahy (nee Whelton)
Joseph O'Driscoll
Michael Cronin
Matilda O' Sullivan
Clíona Paterson
Elizabeth Mee
Secretary/ Computer Tutor
Sandra Dukelow
Special Needs Assistants
Elaine Winters (2004-2008)
Caroline O' Sullivan
Siobhan Myler