St. Patrick’s N.S. is a school full of history, first built in 1887. It originally began as a small, one-room schoolhouse and was one of only two schools on Clare Island at the time. Over the years, the school has grown — it was extended and renovated eighteen years ago, and in 2015, two more classrooms were added. Today, the school is bright and spacious with plenty of room for all our pupils. Recently, we also upgraded our playground and added a bicycle shed.

Our school is located in the heart of Clare Island, in the village of Kille, right beside the church and the old Cistercian Abbey. We are lucky to have stunning views of Clew Bay, with Croagh Patrick, Inishturk, and the mainland visible in the distance.

Ms. Winters is our school principal, and she also teaches in the junior classroom. Our acting vice principal, Ms. Mc Ging, teaches the senior classroom, and Ms. Cunniffe is our learning support teacher. Gráinne, our school secretary, looks after the office, administration, and computer work. We are also very lucky to have Ms. Finn, who teaches us music every Friday.

We are very proud of our Green Schools achievements. We earned our first Green Flag in 2007 for our work in reducing, reusing, and recycling. Since then, we have received four more Green Flags, most recently for promoting sustainable travel. This year, we are working towards a flag for Biodiversity.

Sport is an important part of school life. We play football, soccer, rugby, and rounders. Our Gaelic football team takes part in the Cumann na mBunscoil competitions, playing against other small schools. For over fourteen years, Clare Island has hosted the Small Schools Football Blitz, which was paused during Covid but returned last year. It’s a fun day where over a hundred children come together to play football.

Every year, we take swimming lessons in Westport Leisure Park for eight weeks during May and June. These trips are a great way to learn new skills and visit places like the garda station, fire station, library, and playgrounds. We also have summer swimming lessons on the island, run by the Irish Water Safety Council.