placenamesRath
An Ráth
School histories preserve the names and working conditions of teachers in Rath before and after the national system arrived.
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
- An Ráth · Irish · main form
- Rath · English · main form
Place & story
Two schools in 1806
Michael Mac Mahon's education history identifies two schools in Rath in an 1806 return. Michael Moroney taught fifty pupils, while John Moriarty taught two hundred, an unusually large school for the diocese. These institutions were supported by families' payments rather than forming part of the national school system introduced in 1831. [2]
Teaching at Willbrook
An 1826 return describes Willbrook's school as a thatched cow-shed. John Moloney taught eighty boys and twelve girls, receiving fees from their families without support from an outside agency. Elsewhere in Rath, John Casey taught in the old chapel at Liscullaun. Such premises continued to provide classrooms while a permanent national school remained a later development. [2] [3]
Willbrook’s recognised principal
Willbrook National School opened in July 1884. Mary Colbourne initially taught there, but the education commissioners declined to approve her appointment because she had not completed the required training. Margaret Roche, formerly a senior monitress at Killinaboy, became the recognised principal that August. The school continued until June 1988, when too few pupils remained to sustain it. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Rath. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Education in the Parish of Corofin · Michael Mac Mahon; Clare Libraries
- Willbrook National School, Corofin, Co.Clare1884–1988 · Michael Mac Mahon; Clare County Library
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-10-29. How this page was prepared.