Providing primary education since the seventeenth century.
St Fin Barre’s National School is located on a site of rich historical importance being the point from which the city of Cork grew.
We are fortunate to be located in an area which provides a wealth of education resources from the magnificent Cathedral of St Fin Barre to the University College whose motto “Where Fin Barre taught let Munster learn” underlines the importance of the area.
The first reference to the building of a school in the parish is from the Council records of 4th June 1696. The Council ordered “out of the old timber that remains in the Bridewell my Lord Bishop of Cork have as much for sleepers as will serve for the free school of St Fin Barre’s and that Mr. Perrie mind the concerne”. This was six years after the Siege of Cork and Edward Wetenhall was Bishop.
In 1725 John Pomeroy, Archdeacon of Cork, left in his will dated 24th September 1724, "£100 towards building a Charity School in St. Barrie’s parish and £60 worth of his own books to found a parish library there."
In 1730 a Mrs Mary Shearman devised to the Bishop (Peter Browne), to the Dean (Robert Carleton) and the Chapter the sum of £10 per annum towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster (to be appointed by the Bishop) to teach gratis the poor children of the parish "to read, write and cast accounts and if convenient the rudiments of the Latin tongue and grammar." An extract from Brady’s records of Cork states that when Isaac Mann was Bishop he sent the following letter to John Maginn. “To our beloved John Maginn, greeting. We hereby give and grant to you the office of Schoolmaster of the parish of St. Finbarry, Cork, in our diocese of Cork, with full power and authority to teach and instruct children in the English Tongue, writing and arithmetick, and other lawful and honest documents, allowed and approved of by the laws and statues of this Kingdom, within the said parish during our will and pleasure with all wages, stipends, salaries, and all other profits and emoluments of the office of a Schoolmaster in the said parish, payable under the will of Mary Shearman, late of the city of Cork, widow, deceased or otherwise however. You having first taken all the oaths required by law in his behalf to be taken, and subscribed the declaration, oath of abjuration, and two first canons. In testimony where of we have caused our Episcopal Seals to be thereunto affixed. Dated 29th September, 1777. Thos, Gregg, Dep. Reg.” Brady’s records give the Protestant population of Cork as one thousand, eight hundred and twenty six, in 1830.
The present Cathedral Hall in Dean Street when purchased by St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral from the City of Cork School Board 16th June 1961 is referred to in the minutes of that meeting as “the Newman School”. It was a memorial to Dean Horatio Townsend Newman who was curate in the Cathedral in 1808 and Dean from 1842 – 1864. Mr Carr and Miss Markham were teaching in this building in the 1920s – 1930s. Miss Moore and Miss Rice came later followed by Miss Hay, Miss Chadwick and Miss Jermyn.
In the 1950s there were three city centre schools – St Nicholas, Central (Christ Church) and St Fin Barre’s, Dean St. In 1957 when there were only 14 pupils left in St Nicholas it was amalgamated with Central. This brought the numbers to over 60 with two teachers, Richard Greenham and Louise Wharton.
In the meantime the city of Cork Church School Board were looking for a suitable site to build a new city centre school. On the 29th March 1956 the Representative Church Body of the Church of Ireland conveyed approximately 1 acre of the Bishop's Palace land to the City of Cork Church School Board leasing it to them for 99 years at a rent of £25 per annum.
The new St Fin Barre’s National School off Gillabbey Street was ready in 1960 and over 30 pupils with their teacher Hester Jermyn came from Dean Street to join with over 60 pupils and their teachers from Central. The school was officially opened by Dr Hillery (then Minister for Education) on 30th January /61. Present were Dr. Perdue (Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross), Dean McAdoo, Canon Roberts (Christ Church) and the Lord Mayor, Stephen Barrett as well as parents, teachers, children and friends.
The original school building is in the style typical of schools built in the 1950s. There were originally 3 classrooms but in 2005 the school became a 4 teacher school and an additional classroom was built with a grant of €100,000 from the Department of Education. This was followed in 2006 by a 2nd grant of €100,000 to fund a purpose built Infants classroom. In its design, Jack Coughlan architects considered two factors in particular: the experience of the small child and the connection with the garden to the north. Window height is kept low to give the child the sense of being in the garden while in the protected space of the interior. The natural timber exterior of the new classroom contrasts with the existing pebbledash and provides another connection with the natural surroundings. This brought the number of classrooms to 5 allowing the largest to serve as 2 rooms - a dedicated Resource room and general purpose room (divided by a partition).
Between 2005 and 2010 the school benefited from several other grants from the Department of Education & Skills, enabling the Boards of Management to replace/repair the roof, replace the windows, increase the hard surface play area to allow play outside even on days when the grass would have been too muddy, and also to install security fencing to deter vandals who were causing considerable problems at the time. The toilets were refurbished and sinks were installed in every classroom.
In 2009 a summer works grant provided for the modernisation of the school’s heating and security systems, including new doors. Classrooms were carpeted. Also in 2009, attic and wall insulation were improved. These combined improvements have made the school very warm and comfortable throughout the year.
With thanks to former Principals, Beatrice Hearun and Agnes O'Rourke for providing the material above.
