User:Johntchicago



Memories of Tullycar School By Maureen Travers 1987

The earliest memories of a school in Tullycar area are of a “hedge school” in the town-land of Meenagrogan. James Mc Cory of Meenakeerin and Susan Connolly who had taught in Sessioghneil then came to live in Meenagrogan, taught the children in a barn.

Lord Caledon who was the Landlord of the Tullycar area then built a school in 1854. Master Wilson taught here followed by master Monteith. Master John O’ Kane from Laught married  a miss Mc Glinchey from the same area then came to teach in the school. John’s son Denis married a Cork girl who came to teach in Croigh School in Ballymongan. Since the rule was that husband and wife could not teach in the same school, Denis went to Croigh school each day on his bicycle and his wife Mrs. O’ Kane taught in Tullycar. Around 1909 Miss Minnie Mc Cory was appointed and she stayed for 6 years. This lady is still alive and lives in Castlederg. The school built over the O’Kane home was comprised of one room 30 feet long by 15 feet wide, a slate roof. Windows along one side and a fireplace at one end. The children sat at long wooden desks and forms or benches were placed around the sides of the room. Children whose parents had a horse and cart left a load of turf to provide heat and the other children carried turf to school each day. The school playground was the main or country road; girls up the road and boys down the road. Tullycar School was then under the Donegal circuit and the inspector came on from Donegal to Corgary and then over the hill road to Tullycar School. Ireland at that time was all one island.

Mrs. Mary Ann Travers started to teach here in 1951 with Mrs. O’Kane and when latter retired in 1934 Miss Alice Mc Hale came to Tullycar from Castlederg to become Principal. Miss Mc Hale some time later introduced Irish to the school curriculum. The children were very enthusiastic and entered for several of the competitions in the County Feis held in Omagh. They secured first and second prizes in Irish Language, Irish history, Irish story telling, Recitation dialogue, Celtic design and won two cups, one for Drama in Irish when they staged “Aris” and one for the highest aggregate of marks for any school in the Feis area. Many of the children won scholarships to the Ranafast Gaeltacht and became very proficient in the language. One of those young enthusiasts is Fr. Paddy Moss now a Parish Priest in one of the dioceses of Motherwell in Scotland. Patrick Mc Glinchey (Paddy Anthony), a traditional violinist, came to the school concerts and played for the Irish dancing lessons. Collecting money for the missions and selling mission magazines was part of the work of the school children and one of these now, Fr. Joe Mc Menamin, entered the White Fathers and is a very zealous priest in the mission fields of Zambia. Margaret Byrne, Stracumber, now Sister Mary Joseph with the Carmelite nuns is Dublin entered the convent and celebrated her 18Th birthday during her novitiate with the sisters. In 1985 due to the relaxed rules enjoyed by the Carmelite, order Sister Mary Joseph was able to visit her old home, family friends and the church where she was baptized and confirmed. Both these teachers kept the school going and can still recall the sad epidemic of scarlet fever, which claimed the lives of four young boys from the school over a period of two months. The Rev. Verner, Rector at Lisnacloon, was manager of the school at this time. The years passed by and the population increased so the O’Kane family gave another room to accommodate the children and another teacher was taken on. The later Fr. MacLoingsigh who was parish Priest at Aghyaran and manager of the school decided that the school was inadequate for children and teachers and made plans to build another school some yards down the road. A hut type building was purchased and erected to make three classrooms. Miss McHale, Mrs. Travers, and the late Master Kerr moved the children to school in 1950. This school was called St. Davog’s. Here the children had a playground for the first time and turf burning stoves in each classroom. During the following years water was piped into the school for toilet facilities and the electric light installed, the school bus started and provided transport for the children. With the change in the education system, the children had to transfer at the eleven-plus age to the new secondary school in Castlederg, when it was opened in 1961. The school closed its doors for the last time in June 1978 for is September the children would be transferred to the new centralized school at Carrycaughan.

The end of an era.