About Us

Our School Mission Statement

Ballinlough National School is a Roman Catholic School which promotes Gospel values in a learning community, where children can grow in knowledge and understanding and in the acquisition of skills, attitudes and values. We are committed to the fostering of self-esteem and the dignity of each person as a unique individual. We aim to inspire in the child a love of learning, encouraging the child to reach their full potential.

Our School Vision

Ballinlough National School seeks to achieve a “well ordered, caring, happy and secure envirnoment where the intellectual, physical, moral and cultural needs of each and every child are nurtured in a holistic way”.

History

This school started off in the small building immediately to the front and right of the nearby Catholic Church, in a building that is now used as a community centre. Unfortunately the true history of the school from its inception in 1850 remains to be written but we do have this partial list of headmasters of the school:

Thomas P. Harman 1889-1893

John Geraghty 1894-1896

James P. Ward 1897-1902 Possibly the same person as mentioned below, these three names are from correspondence in the Department of Education files mentioned in A History of the Parish of Kilskyre and Ballinlough, p.125.

Master Ward -1925. He lived in the house attached to the school, which can now be seen as the small building adjoining the community centre on the opposite side from the road, near the entrance to the graveyard from the Church. His sister also taught in the school.

Master Patrick McDonnell 1925-1958 He was a native of Girley near Kells. His father was also a teacher who dropped dead while reading a book out to the class!

Master Vincent Geraghty 1958-1988 He was from Flower Hill in Navan and it was during his term, in 1972, that the school was transferred to its current site.

Master Patrick Marrinan 1988-1990 He was a native of Clare but born in Dublin.

Mrs Margaret Ryan 1990-1996 Living locally she is now the unofficial school historian.

Mrs Goretti Usher 1996-2011 Originally from Mayo but now living in Oldcastle.  When she began in the school it was only a two teacher setup but by the time she retired it had become four teachers and a part time secretary.

Ms Tanya Farelly 2011- present. A native of Carnaross. She taught in Dublin and in Navan before coming to Ballinlough in 2006.