Ireland - December 2023

This is Barratitoppy National School. I didn't go to this one, but it is largely identical to the one I attended about 5 miles away called Killycarnan National School. They're both closed now, but mine has been converted to a private home and doesn't really look much like it used to

In both these schools we had two classrooms, one for the younger grades and one for the more senior, so two teachers across about 30 - 40 kids, from about 4 to 12 years old. In both cases, they were heated by a coal fireplace at the front of each room. As a senior (6th class) we got to light and keep the fire going during the winter months.

This was a time of corporal punishment and a very authoritarian school system. We were caned regularly, sometimes for discipline, sometimes "to aid" the learning process, and sometimes for the teacher to work out their own personal issues. We'd look back fondly on these days, as secondary school introduced leather straps instead of canes.Read more