I CAME to Newport Parish as P.P. in July 1977. The school in Newport town was completed and ready for occupation. It had all modern facilities that a school should have - central heating, carpets, indoor toilets. Cuilmore school was in a very different state... outdoor toilets, turf fires, bad windows and doors.
I remember my first meeting with the management committee of the school. They were the most helpful and co-operative group I had ever met. I knew right away that if we tried to improve the condition of the school, there would be 100 per cent support. I found a wonderful community spirit in the school area, and the school area included people from Kilrneena parish as well as from Newport. Cuilmore serves two parishes and happens to be on the Newport side of the border. This means that the Newport P.P. is chairman of the board of management, and has the privilege of having a foot in either parish, so to speak.
Another problem at the time was that the number of pupils on roll was decreasing, and we were in danger of having the school closed and the pupils transported to another school. This would be a disaster for the area. The closing of a school has a very damaging effect on a commu- nity. It is a great advantage for children in the early years of their education to have the school as near to home as possible. Home and school should work together and that is all the easier to achieve if the school is near at hand and part of the local scene.
Another thing I learned about the people of the school area was that they had not to be asked to do anything for the school. During holiday time they would come to give it a thorough tidying and do any repairs they could.
We realised that the teachers and pupils of Cuilmore deserved the same living and working conditions as Newport had got. Besides, if we could get the Department of Education to spend money on the necessary repairs, it would be unlikely that they would close the school after money had been spent on it.
As far as I can remember the first move was to get in central heating and apply for a grant. That was successful and so we were on our way. The local office of public works in Castlebar was responsible for overseeing the work of repair. The repair of the building went ahead. Chimneys were taken down and the roof section re-slated. New windows and doors, indoor toilets, new lighting, carpeting, new chairs and tables for the pupils, outside plastering etc. All this meant that the local community had to pay a share of the expenses. There was no trouble about that. The people organized functions in the school and took a big share in the annual silver circle with Newport.
I can not give exact figures for the cost of all this work. All the correspondence etc. was left in Newport when I came to the end of my time there, and I can not remember the details. But I can never forget the people and the teachers and pupils of the school area. The school is an important community builder. At school we form friendships with our fellow pupils that last all our lives. We have memories always of our schooldays, and to the end of our days we have a special regard for the ones we went to school with. We shared an important part of our lives with them.
In an area like Cuilmore I think that the school should continue to be a centre where adults as well as children meet. Some areas have community centres and other facilities; but in a smaIl school area where no other centre is available, the school can fulfill a need. It can serve more purposes than one. This is the way it has worked in Cuilmore. The people of the area value their school and are always willing to do any work necessary for its upkeep and maintenance. I realised very soon after going to Newport that the best thing I could do for the school was to leave it in the safe hands of the people. They had a key to the school and it was their responsibility. That made things very easy for me.
I would finally like to thank the people, teachers and pupils of the Cuilmore school area. I would not like anyone to think that the work of refurbishing the school was due to me. It was the work of the school community. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with them, and I also have very happy memories of my Cuilmore school days.
