Faīlte go dtī Scoil Pādraig Naofa, Cregmore. by Joe Kennelly. Principal.
Before you read this brief introductory and welcoming note can I please ask you to always check the section NEWS and in particular the subsection LATEST NEWS.While we were closed during the Covid 19 pandemic, we used this section to regularly communicate with our school community. Since returning in September, we are continuing to provide updates and new and important information. So please, always take a look at NEWS.....LATEST NEWS....... and enjoy the journey.
As Principal of Scoil Padraig Naofa, Cregmore, I am delighted to welcome you to view our school web site. We waited a long time to develop a web site and we are indeed very pleased with the final result.In building the site we were blessed to have the knowledge and expertise of teachers Stephanie Herwood and Mary Curran, supported by our secretary Margaret. Needless to say, we are very grateful to them for their hard work in bringing this project to fruition.
For those of you who are not familiar with our school, here is a very brief history.
Scoil Pádraig Naofa is situated eight miles east of Galway City, in the parish of Lackagh. This is an area renowned for its rich traditions in farming, hurling, music, religious devotion, neighbourly co-operation and support.
The school itself is uniquely situated on a crossroads, and is really the focal point of the community. The original school was opened in 1933 and the story of its foundation back then is fascinating. In 1927, a local gentleman, Mr. Richard McGrath made serious representation to the then Minister of Education to provide the community with a school. Following much controversy, objections and meetings, Scoil Pádraig Naofa, Cregmore was officially opened on July 3rd 1933. This story is well documented in a fine publication entitled “ Cregmore, the school and its People”, published by a group of school parents in 2004. Every house should have a copy.
The original school was demolished in 1978 and a new school was built. However due to increasing pupil numbers, an elaborate, modern extension and enhancement project took place in 2005. Over the past number of years since then, several developments have taken place, including the provision of a new car park and drop off area, the acquisition of a field to the rear of the school and the development of playing pitches and an Astro Turf area. The the building of a long awaited and much needed School Hall, classrooms and Resource room facilities were officially opened on June 21st 2013. In 2016 the school added a modern wing to the front of the school consisting of entrance halls, a school office, and three additional classrooms. We also funded and built a school library, Aistear Room and Sensory room. Finally, during the Summer of 2020 we built a new Asrto Turf facility to the rear of the school and in addition, a new Running Track circling our playing pitch.
In addition, the school boasts a wealth of resources, including maths equipment, IT equipment, PE equipment, Science equipment, an impressive bank of music instruments and the schools most recent acquisition, a suite of Surface RT Tablets which have added a whole new dimension to our interest and knowledge of IT. To day, Cregmore School is one of the fastest developing schools in the Archdiocese of Tuam, with 240 pupils on roll, 14 full time teachers and 7 auxiliary staff.
We have been blessed in Cregmore to have tremendously loyal parents, who have supported each and every initiative throughout the years and who still contribute generously to our monthly Silver Circle Draw.
The commitment of the school staff , both present and past must also be commended.
We take great pride in the fact that our children are extraordinarily well behaved, well mannered, and a privilege to work with. We also have an extremely dedicated and committed teaching team, who genuinely have the very best interest of each little boy and girl at heart. In visiting our website can I please ask you to visit the "Gallery" section where you will get a very strong sense of what we are about here in our school. Can I also recommend that you access our monthly Newsletters which are to be found under Latest News.
Finally,we are most fortunate to have a very dedicated and professional Board of Management, led by Mr. Odhran O Mahoney, a gentleman who has worked tirelessly in promoting and developing the school. His predecessors Mr. Pat Forde, Mr Peadar Dolan and Fr Fohn D Flannery PP also deserve a mention for their loyalty and hard work.
So enjoy our website and may every single child who enters our care be always treated with kindness, love and respect. We wish to live by our motto, Truth, Honesty, Friendship and Respect, and it is our desire that every boy and girl who comes to school here will have the fondest memories, loyal friends and receive the best and broadest education possible.
Joe Kennelly. Principal.