Scoil Choirill,
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The Gurteen area has been involved in education for centuries. As far back as 1831, when it was part of Cloonkeen Civil Parish, it was home to three schools.
‘Gurteen Day School’ was operating with Laurence Griffin as Master. It had 73 in attendance and the subjects on the curriculum were: writing, arithmetic, grammar, and bookkeeping. A hedge school under the direction of Thomas Davock catered for 50 pupils. A second one at Forest View was directed by John Hannon and had approximately the same number of students. In 1853 Gorteen Day School was brought into The National Education system and had more than one hundred on its roll at that time. However it closed in 1875 and its compliment of pupils was transferred to Tample. A new school was built there in 1887. St Monica’s School in Shanballard was constructed in 1896 at the southern end of the parish. St Kerrill’s School opened in Cloonkeenkerrill in 1902, replacing one in which Owen Donnelly had been in charge for several decades previously. There were residences attached to the schools. Therefore, for almost a hundred years Gurteen Parish was served by three schools in the aforementioned areas. In the 1970's, the school buildings at Tample, Shanballard and Cloonkeenkerrill were in need of repair. An application was made to the Department of Education and permission was granted to build a central school which opened it's doors in September 1981. Hundreds of pupils have passed through the school during the last 42 years and many of our current pupils are children of past pupils. As we look forward, we are confident that St. Kerrill's N.S. will continue to welcome and nurture the education of many more children from the locality. "Ní neart go cur le chéile." |