St. Leonard's National School, Dunnamaggin

Prior to the establishment of the Irish National School system in 1831 a Commission of Enquiry calculated that there were 11,000 schools in Ireland. The greater number of schools were termed “pay Schools", where the scholars paid all or part of the school master/mistress pay. These are often called hedge schools and numbered about 9,000 of the 11,000 schools in 1824.

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The Commissioners of Irish Education Enquiry 1824 reported that the barony of Kells 33 teachers. The barony included Dunnamaggin, Kells, Kilmaganny, Windgap and part of Callan Parish. The table below provides information regarding the schools in Dunnamaggin area *(below denotes pounds, shillings and pence)

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The transitory nature of the hedge schools is underlined by the fact that many of the above schools do not appear under the 1836 list of schools. In the Dunnamaggin area, in 1836, Catherine Kelly had a school, charging 1 shilling 6 pence to 3 shilling per quarter per pupil. The average daily attendance was 20. Spelling, Reading, Writing and Needle work were taught. Another school was run by Leonard Leahy, Ballaghtobin with pupils paying between 1 shilling and 6 pence and six shillings per quarter. The average daily attendance was 60 pupils. Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, English grammar and book keeping were taught. A school in Religious instruction held in the Catholic Church was also documented in the 1836 report. The school was said to have a summer attendance of 220 pupils and a winter attendance of 60 and no fee was charged.

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Baurscoob School: A school in Baurscoob, West Dunnamaggin was opened in August 1853 in the expectation of receiving official recognition from the Board of Commissioners Of Education. Fr. Patrick Fogarty PP. Dunnamaggin was instrumentali n its establishment. In December 1853 Baurscoob School was incorporated into the National School system.

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Correspondence between Fr. Fogarty and the Board of Commissioners, as well as the subsequent letter of the District Schools' Inspector Henry Darcy, provide us with interesting information relating to the establishment of the first National School in Dunnamaggin. The structure itself is described as being of stone and mortar, solid substantial and well built, slated and in excellent condition. There was just one room and its internal dimensions were 28ft. in length and 15ft. in width and I Oft. in height with an arched ceiling. (The internal dimensions of the classrooms in the new school in Raheen are approx. 30ft x 23ft x 7_ft.) The school had 8 desks and newly made forms which could accommodate about 60 children. There was also a desk and book press. The school was not attached to, or built on Church grounds. The funds for the building were raised by local subscription. The manager, the Rev. Fr. Fogarty undertook to keep the school in good repair. No local funds went towards the teacher's salary. The pupils paid from 1 shilling (i.e. 7c in todaB money) to 3 shillings per quarter and 1/3 of them were admitted free of charge. The lesson books to be used were those of the Board.

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The school hours were from 9.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday. Instruction in religion was given from 3.00pm to 3.30pm each weekday and from 11.00am to 12.00 noon Saturday. National Schools were intended to provide education for all children regardless of means. The school inspector stated in his report that there were no other schools for the poor in the locality — the nearest national school being Kells National School, 3 miles away. As in all National Schools, Dunnamaggin would be open to all denominations. In his application to the Board, Fr. Fogarty states that the daily average attendance during the first week of the school was 11 males and 24mfemales. By the third week this had increased to 27 males and 41 females. The school had 93 pupils on rolls during its first 6 months, but as was the case nationally, the average daily attendance was a problem. In concluding his November 1853 report, Mr. Henry Darcy reports that there was a great need for a National School in the locality and therefore recommended that the application be approved by the Board.

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The first teacher in the school was John Grant. Both Fr. Fogarty and the inspector judged him to be of good character, having good literary knowledge and good references. He spent a year and a half in teacher training at the Board's Model School, Kilkenny, where his testimonial was very satisfactory. He had no previous employment as a national teacher and he was in his early twenties. The Board ordered that John Grant be allowed an annual salary of €20 from 1st October 1853 and that books for 100 children be provided. The month of December 1853 was the date on which Dunnamaggin School was incorporated into the National School system.

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Despite the favourable comments regarding the school building, the Board's inspectors were soon critical of conditions. As early as 1858 it recommended that there be a separate playground for the boys and girls, and that there should also be a separation wall between the girls and boys toilets ( these were outside toilets). A proper sewerage system would also have to be installed. The necessity for essential repairs was mentioned in a Report dated 1874, the roof in particular being in need of replacement. It was also felt that the accommodation as a whole was unsatisfactory and that there should be a separate girls' school. For much of the second half of the 19th James Hennessy taught in the school. It seems he was appointed Principal in 1865. His was the longest period of service in the history of the school.

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Dunnamaggin Village School: Periodic references to the unsatisfactory state of the building occur into the 20th century, though there is an indication that some renovations were carried out. Catherine Grealy (nee Timon), a native of Tibohine, Co. Roscommon, was appointed Principal in July 1902. Next to James Hennessy, she had the longest period of service in the school. She was Principal when the new Dunnamaggin Village School(now the Community Centre) was officially opened on the 1st February 1930 and she continued in the post until 1938. Catherine Grealy's husband was Michael Grealy, a sergeant in the RIC. The family lived in Loughbrack.

One of their two sons, Hubert, was a Capuchin priest and was a member of the Capuchin Community in Kilkenny for many years. Margaret Dunphy and later, ie. from 1920—1945, the highly respected Maura Hally taught in the school with Catherine Grealy. Paul McLouglin, a native of Co. Mayo, succeeded Catherine Grealy as Principal in 1938. The research work on the folklore of the area was undertaken by the children under his guidance. Elizabeth Roche and later Brigid Burke taught in the school with Paul McLoughlin. Michael Moran describes the 1966—1987 period in which his father Michael (Gus) Moran was principal. Those who taught with him were Brigid Burke, Eileen Burke, Ann Meally, Annie Holden, Margaret O'Shea, Brigid Hoyne and Margaret Brennan. His sudden death in 1987 was a great loss to the community.

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Raheen School: The present principal, Seån Costello has been teaching in St. Leonard' s school since February 1988. Those who have taught in the school during that time were : Margaret O'Shea, Brigid Hoyne, Margaret Brennan, Mary Jacob, Jackie Delahunty, Karina Langton and Vera O'Dwyer. Mary Dunne was appointed Special Needs Assistant in 2000AD. In October 1996 the new school in Raheen was officially opened. It has 3 classrooms, a staffroom and an office. The school site is 3 acres in area. In 20()3 a new prefab unit, consisting of a classroom and resource room, was erected on the school site. There were 89 pupils on roll in the 2004/2005 school year.

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Subjects and Standards in the 19th century : The curriculum or subject matter be taught in National Schools, was outlined in the Instruction Programmes by the Board of Commissioners. Texts on Arithmetic were published by the Board. A gradual improvement in the performance of Irish pupils, due in part to better attendance figures, was noted by inspectors in the latter half of the 19th century.

Their assessment is supported by the census returns during this period. Literacy levels were recorded and those who could neither read nor write were termed illiterate. In common with the rest of the country, Dunnamaggin Village and its hinterland showed a marked improvement in the literacy levels between the 1841 and 1891 census.

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Teachers' Salaries: Teachers'salaries were dependent on their grades or class within the profession. In 1870 the annual salary for teachers ranged from  £22 for a trained male assistant teacher to £19 for a trained female. A male principal teacher had a salary of £42 per annum and a female £34. The average wage of a labourer in 1870 varied from £l6-£23. Central funds provided the bulk of the finance and Government efforts to secure local funding were largely unsatisfactory. Reference has already been made to salary of the first Principal in Dunnamaggin. The Board of Commissioners approved in March 1862 the payment of £15 p.a. to James Hennessey aged 17 as probationer, on his appointment as assistant in the school.

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School Records: School Registers provide an important source of local history for any community. Dunnamaggin is fortunate that the school Still retains the original registers and that they are in relatively good condition. The registers list the names of all the children who enter the school. The address, age and parent/guardian of the child are also given and his/her progress through the classes is documented. There is a separate register for boys and girls.

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The first name entered in the main section of the boy’s register is Patrick O'Neill (Dangamore) and it is dated April 11th 1864. The register was not therefore in use in 1853 at the opening of the school. The next name was Roger Mulroney (Shortalstown) and his entrance date was April 25th 1864. Patrick Peters (Dunnamaggin) was registered on Feb. 20th 1865 and Edmond O'Shea (Ballintee) enrolled in Oct. 1866. Michael Fletcher (Vinesgrove), Feb. 4th 1867 being the date of registration, completes the first page of names. This register was still in use in 1992. The last name to appear in it is Brendan Delahunty, Clone, who completed his Primary education on 30th June 1992.

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There is also an infant section, which lists the infants (male) in the school from 1871 to 1932. The data given in this section is not as comprehensive as in the main section.

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The first name to appear in this section is John Ryan who enrolled on 17/04/71, being 5 years old. His address was Dunnamaggin and his father was a workman. As with the boys the register for girls includes a list of infants from 1871 to 1932. Anty Neill, Baurscoobe is the first name in the main section. The entry date is 11th May 1863. She was six years of age and her father was a workman by trade.

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The second entry was Maryanne Long, Shortalstown aged 7. Her father was a farmer. The infant section lists Judith Fletcher, Vinesgrove as enrolling on 20/03/1871. Her father was a workman by trade. The original register for girls was completed in 1932 and the subsequent register is still in use. A total of 888 girls and 936 boys have been enrolled since the registers first came into use. A database of all pupils, who attended the school since 1867, has been compiled and is an invaluable source of local history.