A century of school stories are brought to book
A new book which chronicles the history of a national school near Ballingeary which dates over 100 years will trigger more than a memory or two for many.
The first National School in Keimaneigh opened in 1871 at Gougane Cross which is about three miles west of Ballingeary village on the main road between Macroom and Bantry. It replaced a hedge school which stood nearby at An Anthan.
Then in 1915, a new school opened a few hundred yards away at Carraig a’Bhranair.
This school educated the children of the locality up until 1982 when the school closed and the children were transferred to a newly built school in Ballingeary.
Two years ago, cumann Staire Uibh Laoire, a local historical society, kick-started a project to record all the pupils who attended the NS in Uibh Laoire parish.
They copied the registers for Keimaneigh NS which recoded all the pupils who attended from 1871 to 1982.
The register also includes the pupil’s townland and parent’s occupation which is an important genealogical source.
Diarmuid and Eileen O’Mahony, who are two cumann members also contacted as many of the past pupils as they could and asked them to write about their time in the school.
The response was truly fantastic and the memories started to flow in from near and far.
They also researched the history of the region and have compiled all the information into the new book, ‘Memories of Keimaneigh National School.’
As with any small school around Ireland, it too can boast of a number of well known past pupils.
Paddy Cronin and Denis Walsh excelled on the sporting field while Cait Ni Mhuimheachtain was a well known sean-nos singer and Anastasia McCarthy was famous as ‘Ansty’ the wife of Tim Buckley, the couple immortalised in Eric Cross’ book’ ‘ The Tailor and Ansty.’
Memories of the book will be launched by the well-known singer, Sean O’Se.
The book will be launched at Cronin’s Bar in Gougane Barra on Friday, November 20 at 8pm.