Kenagh National School - 1856 to 1899
The first school in Kenagh was built in 1856. This school was built on a piece of land owned by Father McGuire [Parish Priest of Kilcommock for over 40 years] on land donated by him free to the parish. Unfortunately he did not live to see his work bear fruit as he died just one month after the school was opened. The school he built was very crude by today's standards. The building was 32ft long, 16ft wide and 10ft high, furnished by six desks and three forms. The school only existed in this form for a short while and it was improved considerably by Father McGuire's successor, Father William O'Donnell, who added on an extra room and a teachers residence.
Unfortunately we have no record of the names of the first teacher or teachers who occupied the building from day one. The first teacher on record that we know of was the famous Poet Leo Casey who taught in Kenagh about 1867 and Master Michael McGrath who also came in 1867. Leo Casey only stayed a short while in Kenagh [less than a year].
There are many interesting facts about the school over a 100 years ago, for instance, 1894 Christmas holidays began on the December 9th and ended on January 7th. There was an average of seventy five pupils at school during the month of January which was very high for winter time. The religious exams were held on May 11th and the summer holidays began on the 19th July and ended on the 30th July. The summer holidays, which lasted just a fortnight could vary anytime during July/August or even into September. Of course there were many other breaks from school besides the Summer and Christmas holidays. Children got a fortnight in Spring to sow potatoes and cut turf and a fortnight in October to pick the potatoes. They also got more Church holidays than exist today. They got the 25th March, the 29th June Candlemas Day and the 1st and 2nd of November extra along with the present Church holidays.
By the turn of the century there were many changes both at local and national level. With the great industrial revolution taking place throughout the Kingdom, education was becoming more important. Possibly with this in his mind the then P.P Father Patrick Moore placed the following advert in the Longford Leader early in June 1898
"Wanted building contractor to build new School at Kenagh, reply before end of June 1898. Fr. Patrick Moore P.P"
Unfortunately we have no record of the names of the first teacher or teachers who occupied the building from day one. The first teacher on record that we know of was the famous Poet Leo Casey who taught in Kenagh about 1867 and Master Michael McGrath who also came in 1867. Leo Casey only stayed a short while in Kenagh [less than a year].
There are many interesting facts about the school over a 100 years ago, for instance, 1894 Christmas holidays began on the December 9th and ended on January 7th. There was an average of seventy five pupils at school during the month of January which was very high for winter time. The religious exams were held on May 11th and the summer holidays began on the 19th July and ended on the 30th July. The summer holidays, which lasted just a fortnight could vary anytime during July/August or even into September. Of course there were many other breaks from school besides the Summer and Christmas holidays. Children got a fortnight in Spring to sow potatoes and cut turf and a fortnight in October to pick the potatoes. They also got more Church holidays than exist today. They got the 25th March, the 29th June Candlemas Day and the 1st and 2nd of November extra along with the present Church holidays.
By the turn of the century there were many changes both at local and national level. With the great industrial revolution taking place throughout the Kingdom, education was becoming more important. Possibly with this in his mind the then P.P Father Patrick Moore placed the following advert in the Longford Leader early in June 1898
"Wanted building contractor to build new School at Kenagh, reply before end of June 1898. Fr. Patrick Moore P.P"
Kenagh National School - 1900 to 1992
The new school was officially opened on January 8th 1900. Eighty seven pupils attended school on the first day it opened in January 1900. The infant class boys who attended that day were Robert Armstrong, John J Kilcoyne, James Rooney, Caas Conlon, Tom Belton, Pat Corcoran, John Matthews, John McCormack, Frank McGann, John Nolan, Jim Parkinson, Edwards McCormack, Nathaniel Armstrong, John J Nolan, Michael Ireland.
The playground of the new school was divided in two with a six foot high wall separating the boys side from the girls side. There were two "dry" toilets on both sides of the high wall.
The change over from British rule in 1922 brought changes to the school which now closed for three months to give teachers a chance to brush up on their Irish language. The school going population remained about one hundred and it remained a two teacher school for over twenty five more years. In 1933, there were 102 names on the roll book. One teacher had low infants and high infants and first and second class - fifty five pupils in all - yet she was severely reprimanded for not having full control of her pupils during a visit from the school inspector.
The school was closed on the 17th July 1941 and not re-opened until October 30th due to an outbreak of diphtheria in the Kenagh area but it had to close again on November 14th and not re-opened until well into the new year. Several young children from the are died during the epidemic. Master Murphy made a very sad entry into the Roll Book in early 1942 as follows: Bas cailin og on la seo. Still the Roll call remained static with one hundred and two in 1943 and one hundred and three in May 1946 with 75% average annual attendance.
In 1956 the school was re-modeled and enlarged. The old two roomed building was converted into a modern three roomed school, new cloakrooms were added and a staff room was also added. The "Big Wall" dividing the boys and girls playground was removed and a cement basketball court laid down. The playground was also made bigger by purchasing some of the adjoining field and it was now possible to play a game of football within the confines of the school grounds.
Three schools in the area were closed under the Education Act of 1963 and this boosted the population for a fourth teacher so in 1972 a pre-fab was acquired and the school population increased even further. The school attendance at Kenagh School on 30th June 1992 was one hundred and eighteen.
The playground of the new school was divided in two with a six foot high wall separating the boys side from the girls side. There were two "dry" toilets on both sides of the high wall.
The change over from British rule in 1922 brought changes to the school which now closed for three months to give teachers a chance to brush up on their Irish language. The school going population remained about one hundred and it remained a two teacher school for over twenty five more years. In 1933, there were 102 names on the roll book. One teacher had low infants and high infants and first and second class - fifty five pupils in all - yet she was severely reprimanded for not having full control of her pupils during a visit from the school inspector.
The school was closed on the 17th July 1941 and not re-opened until October 30th due to an outbreak of diphtheria in the Kenagh area but it had to close again on November 14th and not re-opened until well into the new year. Several young children from the are died during the epidemic. Master Murphy made a very sad entry into the Roll Book in early 1942 as follows: Bas cailin og on la seo. Still the Roll call remained static with one hundred and two in 1943 and one hundred and three in May 1946 with 75% average annual attendance.
In 1956 the school was re-modeled and enlarged. The old two roomed building was converted into a modern three roomed school, new cloakrooms were added and a staff room was also added. The "Big Wall" dividing the boys and girls playground was removed and a cement basketball court laid down. The playground was also made bigger by purchasing some of the adjoining field and it was now possible to play a game of football within the confines of the school grounds.
Three schools in the area were closed under the Education Act of 1963 and this boosted the population for a fourth teacher so in 1972 a pre-fab was acquired and the school population increased even further. The school attendance at Kenagh School on 30th June 1992 was one hundred and eighteen.
Kenagh National School - 1992 to present day
The new school was opened on the 9th September 1992 by Minister for Education Seamus Brennan and has been re-constructed on two occasions since then. The school has now 5 mainstream classrooms and a resource classroom. We can now boast of a comprehensive complex all on one piece of ground which was once the old Rampark. We have a school, church, 2 football pitches, basketball court and tennis court altogether. The school attendance at Kenagh School on the 1st September 2012 was one hundred and thirty four. Kenagh has come along way since 1856.
Excerpts taken from the article "A look into the Past at Schools and Education in the Kenagh Area" by Paddy Egan first printed in the Kenagh National School - Centenary Booklet 1898-1998, Longford 1998.