Barna National School
School Details
Location
About
Barna National School is a small, co‑educational rural primary school located in the parish of Pallasgreen & Templebraden, County Limerick, with the Galtee Mountains providing a scenic backdrop. The school serves around 60 pupils from the local community and surrounding areas, offering a nurturing environment that balances academic rigour with the spiritual, moral, physical and cultural development of each child. Its mission is to create a caring, happy and secure setting where pupils can explore their talents, become confident learners and active members of the wider community. The school benefits from recent upgrades, including a new wing with indoor toilets and a modern cloakroom, and a 2011 refurbishment that transformed the original three‑room layout into two bright, spacious classrooms for junior and senior classes. Facilities also include a dedicated ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) class opened in 2026, hot lunch provision, and a range of extracurricular programmes such as debating, science blasts, a Junior Entrepreneur Project, choir and peace prom. The school’s commitment to holistic education is reflected in its attainment of the Green Flag, Active School Flag, 5‑Star GAA Centre award, Pieta House Amber Flag and Health‑Promoting School status.
History
Barna National School was built in 1929 with three rooms – two classrooms and a combined lunchroom/hall – and external cloakrooms and a shed for outdoor toilets. Electricity arrived in 1953 under the Rural Electrification Scheme. In 1965 the Parent Association installed flush toilets and wash basins in an outdoor block. A major fundraising effort in 1994 saw the middle room converted into a third classroom, the addition of a telephone, carpet laying and various repairs. A new wing with indoor toilets and a cloakroom was added in 1998, repurposing the old outdoor block for storage. Summer 2011 works removed the original wooden partitions, creating two bright, spacious rooms for junior and senior classes.