Cornanool N.S. was built in 1896 on a site of one acre and sixteen perch. It was officially opened in 1898. The reason for this delay was the The Board of Works refused to pay the balance op the grant to the school manager, Fr. William Coen, as they were unhappy with the contractors work. It cost £386/19. This was covered by a grant of £257/19/8 from the Board of Works and the rest was fundraised locally. Enrolment at that time was 121 children but the average daily attendance was 72.
The school consisted of two rooms, one large and one small, a hallway, a cloak porch and a turf box. It was a mixed school but the playground was divided into girls and boys by a five-foot wall. Heating was by open turf fires and children were expected to bring a few sods of turf to school each day.
There was a wonderful celebration in 1996 for our centenary year with past pupils travelling from all over the world to reminisce about their days in Cornanool N.S. We produced a Centenary Book which is a great resource for local history. You can view different articles and images from this book by clicking here.
However, it was in 2005 that the biggest improvements were made with the purchase of the field to the front of the school and the addition of two new classrooms to replace the smaller rooms in the older part of the school. This has given the school a wonderful modern feel and provided additional playing areas for the pupils.
Thanks to the dedication, hard work and commitment of many generations of parents, staff and Board of Managements, we have a school in the heart of the community, in which we are rightly proud. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny was a past pupil in Cornanool N.S.
In its 115 year history the school has had just six principals:
- Bernard Egan Snr. 1896-1933
- Bernard Egan Jnr. 1933-1937
- John Egan 1937-1975
- Martin Loftus 1975-2009
- Ann O’Hara 2009-2018
- Dermot Walsh 2018 – present