This article is from page 35 of the 2008-09-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
AFTER almost 200 years as a cen- tral driving force behind education in north Clare, the Christian Broth- ers last week handed control of the Ennistymon CBS over to a board of BUR Keone
In a move which is being echoed all over the country, the Brothers have handed the overall responsibil- ity for the running of the school over to a specially created Lay Trust. The school will now be run by a limited company called The Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST).
“The establishment of the trust company will ensure a continuity of a tradition generated over two cen- turies by the Christian Brothers. As trustees we are extremely conscious
not only of the tangible value of the network of schools but equally of the invaluable educational ethos estab- lished by Blessed Edmund Rice that has been entrusted to us,’ said Pat Diggins, Chairperson of Directors of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust.
“We will be working in conjunction with the Christian Brother trustees and with all of the relevant stake- holders within our educational envi- ronment to ensure a smooth transi- tion.”
The numbers joining the Christian Brothers in Ireland has been dwin- dling in recent years and Ennistymon is now only home to one Brother, Liam O’Meara.
Br Liam was principal of the now defunct CBS Primary School and has been one of the main drivers be-
hind the Burren Chernobyl Project over the last two decades. Last week he handed over the keys to the school to anumber of students in a symbolic ceremony to mark the beginnings of life under the Trust.
Ennistymon CBS has a long and proud tradition of educating boys from north and west Clare and the school is keen to continue with the traditions and high standards put in place by the Christian Brother.
Drawing students from as far west as Mullagh and Quilty and as far north as Kilfenora and Kilshanny the school has been expanding. With the co-operation of Scoil Mhuire and En- nistymon Vocational School offers a bigger selection of subjects than any stand alone school in Clare.
The school was founded in
1824 when local parish Rev Pe- ter O’Loughlin wrote to Christian Brothers founder Edmund Rice, re- questing that two brothers be send to Ennistymon to educate the many boys in the area who because of the Penal Laws had no opportunity of re- ceiving any education.
Over the following 184 years – through famine, revolution and two world wars – the brother continued to teach and guide the young people of the area.