Scoil Naisiunta Colmcill Naofa
School Details
Location
About
Scoil Náisiúnta Colmcill Naofa is a mixed primary school in the rural parish of Moone, South Kildare, serving families from the surrounding villages of Athy and Castledermot. The school operates under a Catholic ethos with patronage from the Archbishop of Dublin and the Department of Education and Skills, while also recognising the faith traditions of all pupils. It offers a progressive, community‑focused learning environment where pupils, parents, staff and the Board of Management collaborate to foster academic achievement and personal development. The campus comprises spacious classrooms, a dedicated resource room, a special‑education room, a disabled‑access toilet and a modern learning‑support suite that was created from former cloakrooms. Extensive outdoor facilities include a basketball court, a playing pitch and generous green areas for recreation. Recent investment through the Irish National Recovery and Resilience Plan has provided high‑speed broadband and a range of iPads and laptops, supporting a robust digital learning programme. A broad extracurricular programme encourages participation in Gaelic football, basketball, soccer, tag rugby, swimming, music generation, debating, drama, chess and a variety of environmental and enterprise initiatives such as the Blue Star, Green Flag, Amber Flag and Young Entrepreneur schemes.
History
Scoil Naisiúnta Colmcill Naofa was originally built in 1911; the original building now serves as the parish hall. In 1952 the school moved to its present site in Moone, a rural five‑teacher co‑educational primary school. William G. Doyle became principal in 1913 and served through the transition to the new three‑teacher school, retiring in 1959. Subsequent principals included Joe May (1959‑1969), Pierce Ferriter (1969‑1973), Michael Abbey (1973‑2001), Joe Monaghan (2001‑2009), and the current principal appointed in 2010. Major extensions were added in 1975 (new infant classroom), 1982 (staff and administration rooms), 2009 (two classrooms and a resource room opened by the Minister for Education) and 2018 (an extra classroom, a special‑education room and a disabled toilet). Today the school enrols approximately 127 pupils who take part in a wide range of sporting, cultural and enterprise activities.