In 2016 Collon National School celebrated it’s 120th anniversary of the present school. The school has been on the same site since 1845. An application for funds towards teacher salaries and school books was made to the National School Board on 26th July 1845 by Fr Michael Kieran, PP of Collon at the time.  There were two classrooms in the school, for male and female students. The school opened from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, Monday to Friday and from 9-12 on Saturdays. The average attendance was 90 boys and 70 girls. Two teachers were employed , Patrick Mc Nally and Mary Doran, both aged 22 who had been approved by the local inspector. The school was taken formally under the Education Board on 25th September 1845.

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The building of a new school was always an aspiration of Fr Michael Kieran and didn’t materialise until 1896 when John Lyons and his wife Ellen were Principal teachers and FR Thomas Murray PP was manager of the school. A grant of £368 against expenditure of £551 was given by the National Board towards the erection of the new building. Two new classrooms were built to accommodate a maximum of 150 pupils.

 

The school has come a long way in those 120 years with further extensions added in the 1950’s, 1970’s, 2005, 2010 and most recently in 2015. The school is a modern, comfortable school where its aims are to promote and encourage a love of learning and to prepare each pupil so that they may go on to live a full and dignified life as an adult in society.  Currently there are over 230 pupils in the school and 13 permanent teaching staff.