Our History

The present school in Kilrickle was built in 1922. It was then a two-room school but had three teachers. A third room was added in 1939. The principal teacher of the school then was Jim Wynne. He died in 1993 at the age of 89 years. The original school in Kilrickle was a type of Hedge School. It was built in a corner of the graveyard and had up to eighty pupils attending at the time the new school was being built. It then became a parochial hall. It was a venue for ceili dancing, drama, plays and concerts for 40 years until the present hall was built in 1958. 

 

The earliest school register dates back to 22nd of May 1912. During the following sixty years since the school was built in 1922, very little was done albeit essential maintenance. In the mid 70’s external flush toilets were built to replace the “dry toilets” common to most schools at that time. In 1980 a central heating system was installed to replace an open fire and a stove. Then after many years campaigning, permission was granted by the Department of Education for an extension and a total refurbishment of the existing building. The extension consisted of a toilet block and a staff room.

 

Planning permission was granted in May 1999 and work began on the project thereafter. While work was in progress the teachers and pupils relocated to the parochial hall which is adjacent to the school. The school re-opened in September 2000 and the official opening took place on June 17th 2001. In 2014 further development of Kilrickle NS was planned as permission was granted that year for a further extension to the school. This consisted of a full sized mainstream classroom with toilets and a resource room. This project was completed in 2016. 

 

In 2020 further plans were drawn up to continue to modernise the school. This included the building of a new classroom that consisted of an office space and each classroom would now be fitted with their own toilets. The central heating system of the school was also replaced in this renovation. All of these works were completed by August 2021. A new pre-school opened on the grounds of the school in 2021. 

 

Now Kilrickle National School, with its expansive grounds boasts a new astro turf facility that was completed in 2022, multiple grass playing areas and its own full size basketball and tennis court. The school has its own school garden which is planted with fruit, vegetables and flowers every year and is a source of learning and enjoyment for all.

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In December 2022 the school celebrated its centenary. A book was published to celebrate the event and more on this day can be seen here.

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Further history about our past can be found by clicking below or by viewing the Kilrickle Heritage Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/kilrickleheritage

 

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