Offaly school celebrates 60th Anniversary with special event

Sixty years of teaching and learning at Lumcloon NS was celebrated last Wednesday May 7 in the school.

A lovely celebrated Mass was offered by Fr Pat Kiernan PP who stepped in at short notice for Bishop Paul Connell who sent his apologies as he had to attend an unscheduled meeting with the Education Minister.

This was a treble celebration as the school community celebrated the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the school, the 20th anniversary of the added extension and the official unveiling of the original plaque from Bunn NS.

According to local folklore, a “hedge school” existed in the 1800s, less than half a mile from the present Lumcloon school. This was held in a house opposite the old corn mill with reports of about 40-50 students attending in winter and 10-12 in summer and they were taught by a Mr Timothy Gardiner.

Bunn NS, just off the Tullamore Road, was erected in 1885 on a quarter acre site on the lands of Jim Guinan. It was a stone building with only one room and catered for up to thirty pupils. The school closed in 1964 and its pupils transferred to the new Lumcloon NS along with their teacher Mrs Claffey. The school remained a one teacher school until March 1968 due to insufficient numbers.

The amalgamating of Leamore NS with Lumcloon NS in April 1974 saw two teachers in Lumcloon – Ms Hederman – and twelve extra pupils.

The present Principal Mr Greg Gilligan was appointed in September 1992 which saw the school with a third teacher due to increased numbers. While waiting for a prefab to be erected, pupils were taught for a short time in the home of Mr Paddy Gilligan, the home place of Mr Gilligan’s late father and grandfather. Paddy sadly passed away in the summer of 2023 and was always a good friend to the school. He was remembered during the Mass with a key brought to the altar signifying his open door friendship.

The new extension was added in 2004 and consisted of four classrooms, a special tuition room, office, staffroom, library/resource room, kitchen and storage space. A special class for pupils with Autism opened in 2015.

Punching above their weight, Lumcloon NS boasts many achievements including winner of Bord na Scol for small schools in 1988, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2005.

ICT achievements includes both national and local prizes including Best Overall Primary School Website in Ireland in 2001.
The list continues when they featured on both radio and TV when they won events such as quizzes, handwriting competitions etc., such as overall winner in Co. Offaly with a project for the Irish Independent “Building for the Future” competition, national finalists in the Active Schools initiative in 2010 and presently working on their sixth green flag. And the list continues.

And so the building that opened as a one teacher school back in 1964 along with its twenty year old extension, welcomed back past as well as current pupils, parents and members of the local community to a wonderful celebration of sixty years of excellence and twenty years on new growth.