Originally there was a hedge school at McDonaghs of Gardenfield and a school in Kilbannon. In 1884, John Ryan donated a site for the school in Gardenfield and in return was given a portion of land in the commons, also in Gardenfield.
When the first Catholic school opened its doors in Gardenfield in 1885, Ireland was in a troubled state. The struggle for home rule was beginning and the country was in the midst of a land war, with the founder of the Land League, Michael Davitt, promoting the cause of a land war of small farmers who were being evicted by greedy landlords. His aim was to fight for fair rents for tenant farmers who he believed should be able to own their land in time.
While many landlords were ruthless in their dealings with tenants, it seems the people of Gardenfield and surrounding villages were very fortunate in having the Kirwans, who were Catholic, as overseers.
Those who recall them remember being able to play in the gardens of the Kirwan homestead – Gardenfield House – without ever raising the ire of the landed gentry who lived there.
Given the good relationship the Kirwans had with the area and the fact that they provided funding towards the school’s building cost, it’s not surprising that Henry J. Kirwan Esq. J.P. became patron of Gardenfield N.S. when it opened its doors towards the end of the 19th century. Prior to that children from the area attended Kilbannon N.S.
As patron of Gardenfield N.S., Kirwan’s approval had to be sought before managers could be appointed to the school in subsequent years. These were inevitably local priests and one of the first was Rev. John Loftus.
The school was built by Michael Byrne and his son John who were stonemasons and built all the walls in the Kirwin estate. It was a stone building and the stones were locally sourced – from the Kilcloghans area or the Massmore area.
The exact date on which Gardenfield school opened is not definite. A plaque over the door bears the year 1886 but the first records for the school in the National Archives as well as the first roll books in the school date back to 1885, when Miss Mary Prendergast was appointed teacher on a salary of £27. She was given a grant of £4, 10 schillings, to purchase stock for the one-roomed school.
The number of teachers in the school at the time is uncertain but Margaret Ryan is named as monitress in November 1887. Catherine Connell (later Godwin) was appointed in January 1890 and Miss Julia McHugh was appointed assistant in September 1891.
Unfortunately few records are preserved from the following two decades but from the roll books it is obvious that sickness and disease were rampant at the time. On July 28th and September 28th, 1912, for example it is noted that the school was closed “to prevent disease coming in the neighbourhood of the school”. And the school closed for a few weeks from December 9th, 1912, to January 4th, 1913, “owing to epidemic”. It also closed for a day each July for a “bazaar” and in October for the great October fairs. In those days it appears children had to go to school right up until the end of July before they got their summer holidays.
The school itself consisted of one room divided in two by a curtain. Windows were small – like the ones in it now. There was a chimney at either end. Lighting a fire in the fireplaces at either end provided heat, the fuel consisting of turf supplied by the pupils. Any household who could afford an ass cart of turf brought it and others, who could not, brought sods of turf each morning. Many a turf reek was raided on the way to school. The school had a wooden boarded floor. There were, of course, holes in the floor through which pencils fell and mice looked up through inquisitively.
When Mrs. Godwin retired she was replaced by her brother Michael O’Connell, a native of Kilconnell, Ballinasloe, who had moved to Tuam and married Julia McHugh, the school assistant.
Girls wore dresses, even in the height of winter and there was a huge emphasis on their ability to knit and sew. They were taught how to hem garments, and make button-holes and patches. All their work was pasted into a book and examined by an inspector who called to the school every year.
Younger children wrote on slates with a special slate pencil. The squeak made by the pencil if it was dragged in a certain way grated on many ears. The older classes wrote with pen and ink.
Kids carried some homemade bread wrapped in newspaper for their lunch with them to school. They would also have bottles of milk. The tiny porch at the front of the school served as a cloakroom and also stored sweeping brushes. The senior boys would have to sweep the floor every evening and light the open fire in the morning.
Girls and boys weren’t allowed to mix during recreation so they each played their own games. Girls played Four Cornered Fool, Tig, Nuts in May and Thread, Thread the Needle and Sew. Boys played conkers and football. In those days both teachers taught in the one room. While that presumably posed no problems for the husband and wife team of Michael and Julia O’Connell, when Mrs. O’Connell retired and Mrs. Walsh arrived, a curtain was hung to divide the junior and senior classes. The teachers cycled to school for many years. Later they acquired a Baby Ford car.
After Michael O’Connell retired, John Richard King taught there. Tommie Ryan replaced Mr. King in the 30’s, and he and Mrs. Walsh closed the door of the old school and all the pupils marched from the old school to the new school in 1948. Although the new school is actually located in Ballytrasna, it retains the name of Gardenfield School.
The school was whitewashed once a year with a heather brush. Slack lime (burnt lime stone) plus a ball of blue that helped to whiten the wash were used.
A local couple. Lawrence and Margaret McHugh. bought the old school from the Department of Education. They changed into a modern home. Later they swapped their house with the Reapy’s who lived a few 100 yards away. After a while the Reapys moved into Tuam where they ran a pub and grocery shop (where Reapy’s pub now is). The Reapys rented the house to various people including J.J. and Mary Sheridan, and Seamus and Virgina Sweeney. Later Bertie Henry bought it but only lived in it a short while before selling it to Galway County Council, who housed a number of families there. Owen McDonagh’s family stayed there for a long time and after they left the house fell into disrepair.
In 1996 a local committee got a 99 year lease from the council and turned it into a museum and that the way it stands today.
The site for the present school was provided by Mrs. Byrne and it was build by Farraghers who were, and still are, building contractors. When the present school was built there was no running water, so the toilets consisted of outdoor toilets located at the back of the school, which have since been demolished. Later a well was sunk which provided terrible water. Toilets were installed by sectioning off part of the cloakrooms and a septic tank was built. The well was never a success and eventually about the year 1976 Kilbannon Group Water Scheme provided water to the surrounding areas so the school had plenty of water, though it was not always drinkable.
Fr. Martin Gleeson (the school Manager) appointed Brendan Rhatigan as the new principal when Mr. Tom Ryan, the principal, was about to retire. He started teaching in September 1974 and from then on Gardenfield went from strength to strength. Brendan was principal until 1996 when he was succeeded by his daughter, Áine Uí Bhré. In 1979 the parents’ council, B.O.M. and others in the school community erected a gym room for the school. This was the first of many voluntary works. In 1983 a third teacher had to be appointed. Shortly afterwards, a fourth teacher was appointed and then extra rooms had to be built to accommodate the increasing numbers. The ·Department were slow to provide these. Fr. Gleeson was relocated to Carnacon and replaced by Fr. Joseph Quinn who continued the good work. At last the Department built a new room and staff room. Just as that room was completed planning permission had been obtained from Galway Co. Council to build a similar room at the other end of the school. In 1991 the parents fundraised enough money through raffles and American Tea Parties to build another room for the school. This room was built within two months and ready for the start of the new school year in September 1991.
In response to the proposed building project in 2001 for Gardenfield N.S. and the erosion of school grounds, it was felt necessary to acquire additional play area to cater for the future needs of the school. The B.O.M. purchased a field and right of way from Patrick Reilly in 2002. Fr. Stephen Farragher, chairperson of the B.O.M., called a meeting of parents in August 2002 to see how this project would be funded. It with was decided to levy each family €120 per year and set up a finance committee to raise funds. A raffle with tickets priced €20 was decided. €16,500 was raised. The pitch was fully paid off by November 2003.Two people deserve special mention L.B. Ó Reachtagáin (Brendan Rhattigan) and Eamon Burke. After the purchase they fenced off the pitch and organised for its landscaping, overseeing all this work on their own.
Today sees the fruition of their work and the addition of two magnificent pitches for the children to enjoy. On 28/06/2006 the Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary blessed the pitch and Pete Finnerty, parent and Galway All Ireland hurling medal winner, cut the ribbon. The pitch was appropriately named Páirc Bhreandáin.
On 1st December 2006 another extension was started. Pat Rattigan, Brownsgrove, was the main contractor. The two original classrooms were extended and all classrooms were rewired and networked to bring them into the modern era. A gym, toilets, secretary’s office, parent’s room, library, communications and storage rooms were added. This was completed in May 2008. The library was fitted with new computers and stocked with books. The library was officially opened by the author Kate McMahon on the 11th of June 2009. While the extension was under construction the junior and senior infants classes relocated to Brownsgrove N.S. from 16th April 2007 to 27th June 2007. From 3rd September to 26th October 2007 Junior Infants to First Class moved to Brownsgrove N.S. and Second Class to Sixth Class to the Mercy Secondary School. Gardenfield N.S. is indebted and grateful to both schools for all their help.
On 20th October 2007 pupils and staff moved back into the modernised Gardenfield School. The Board of Management took possession of the school in May 2008. The extension was officially blessed and opened by Archbishop Michael Neary on the 10th of October 2008.
Further increases in enrolment meant that a sixth teacher was appointed for September 2011. This brought the staff numbers to 6 class teachers and one learning support teacher. Since there was no classroom for the new teacher, a section of the gym was sectioned off for use as a classroom. Another extension started in December 2011. The contractor was Tom McHugh, Kilcloghans, Tuam. Two classrooms, a staff room, a toilet, and a storage room were constructed. This new development was completed in May 2012. Pupils moved into the new classroom in September 2012.
Above the two new classrooms.
Today it is a modern school with facilities which are the envy of many schools.
