This article is from page 14 of the 2011-05-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
FORMER pupils of Barefield National School fondly recalled their schooldays as the school marked its latest milestone on Sunday.
Sr Kitty Baker attended the school between 1925 and 1932. Her thoughts are contained in a memorial booklet produced by the school to mark the official opening of a new school extension. Sr Baker recalled walking five miles to school often through fields and bogs.
She said, “We had nice teachers, Master O’Riordan and Mrs O’Driscoll. The Master was a very good singer and he taught the choir. Mrs. O’Driscoll taught us sewing and knitting which I loved. I was not too good at the Irish but I was good at arithmetic and the teacher often gave me a pencil or a rubber as a reward. My sister Nelly was the best in her class.”
Sean Howard, who attended the school in the 1930s, explained his family’s long connection with the school. Sean, whose grandchildren now attend the school stated, “Barefield school has always been very near and dear to me and my family. My grandfather, John Howard, was the headmaster in Barefield National School from circa 1864 to 1907. In the early years, the school was located in the grounds where the church now stands and in later years (1895) the ‘new school’ was built in Drum- quin.”
John Butler lived in a cottage in Ballymaley with his father, mother and brother, Michael. He was a pupil at Barefield National School in the 1960s.
“Back then, rural electrification had not arrived in Barefield so we did not have electricity or running water, just candles and oil lamps and we carried water from a spring well for drinking and cooking and took water from a barrel off the roof for washing etc”, he recalled.
Bríd Baker was a student at the school from 1983 to 1991. “The highlight of the year had to be our sports evening. We paraded from the school behind the marching band up to the small sports field where all the events took place. A boys and girls relay team were picked from this to represent the school in the parish sports competing against Doora National School and Knockanean National School,” she recalled.