placenamesKnocknahur
Cnoc na hIora
Known locally as Ransboro, Knocknahur grew around church, school and community grounds on the Coolera peninsula.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cnoc na hIora · Irish · main form · validated name
- Knocknahur · English · main form
Place & story
From the mountain church to the crossroads
The Coolera Cultural Trail traces the earlier church community to the slopes of Knocknarea. A stone church replaced a thatched predecessor in the 1820s, and a bell tower followed in 1856, with assistance from Church of Ireland parishioners in Saint John’s parish. In 1964 the congregation moved to the new Star of the Sea Church at Ransboro crossroads. The older building subsequently became a private residence. [2]
The Land League house
InMay 1886 a crowd assembled at Red Gate to build a home for an evicted family. The local cultural trail records that foundations were laid on Wednesday and a two-room house was built and thatched the following day. The family remained for about twenty years before securing another holding at Primrose Grange. The house continued in use into the 1950s, before falling into ruin. [2]
Two schools brought together
Ransboro National School was built in 1980–81 to replace the schools at Knocknarea and Kilmacowen. Its own history recalls earlier proposals to send Knocknarea’s pupils to Strandhill and Kilmacowen’s to Carraroe. The new school instead brought the two communities together in a six-classroom building with a hall, kitchen and library space. The library room was enlarged in 1985 to accommodate a seventh teacher. [3]
Adapting the school buildings
The school’s later development reflects changes in educational provision. An extension begun inJanuary 2001 added classroom, learning-support and library facilities. Two classes for children with autism opened in temporary accommodation in 2013, followed by a purpose-built addition occupied inApril 2016. That project included a sensory room, activity space, courtyard and sensory garden, extending the school beyond its original classroom arrangement. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Knocknahur. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Coolera Cultural Trail: Ransboro Crossroads · Go Strandhill, Coolera Cultural Trail
- Ransboro National School: History · Ransboro National School
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.