Kilbarron National School
School Details
Location
About
Kilbarron National School is a small, inclusive primary school situated on the Belleek Road on the outskirts of Ballyshannon, opposite Kathleen’s Falls. The school provides a warm, welcoming and safe learning environment for around 40 pupils, supported by a dedicated team of classroom teachers, support staff and special‑needs assistants. Classrooms are bright and well‑equipped with interactive touch‑screens, Chromebooks, iPads and tablets, enabling a modern, technology‑enhanced curriculum that balances the traditional “3 R’s” with creative and digital learning. The school benefits from extensive indoor and outdoor facilities. A large yard includes a full‑size lined basketball court, a grass area with goal posts, a school garden, a sensory garden, and a slide and climbing frame. Extra‑curricular provision is strong: the school is a recognised Active School offering Gaelic, rugby, basketball, hurling, soccer and bi‑annual swimming lessons, while the Green School programme works towards a 5th Green Flag for biodiversity. A hot lunch service forms part of the DEIS initiative, and the Amber Flag programme promotes positive mental health. An annual Christmas play and regular community events enrich the school’s vibrant ethos.
History
Kilbarron National School forms part of a continuous primary‑school tradition dating back over 300 years. The present building on the Belleek Road was erected in 1983, replacing the former site on Church Avenue near St Anne’s Church, where schools had existed since at least 1718 when Archdeacon Michael Hewetson founded a schoolhouse for poor children. Following the establishment of the national school system in 1831, a Protestant parochial school opened on Church Avenue, and the poet William Allingham attended the nearby Wray’s School. Kilbarron National School itself opened in 1871, was enlarged in 1901, and later incorporated pupils from Mullinashee, Cavangarden and Kinlough schools. The move to the Belleek Road site marked the end of the long‑standing Church Avenue era.