West Mayo school St Brendan's Kilmeena has celebrated its centenary marking its eventful history.

On Friday morning, past and present pupils, teachers and neighbours gathered at St Brendan's National School, located just a few minutes from Westport. 

An occasion to mark 100 years of education in the Myna hinterland, a celebration that spanned two sites, two eras and one unbreakable community bond. 

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The old, disused school building before it was turned into a family home.

An eventful history

The school's principal Michael Carney recalls a crucial time in the school's history, when the original building was closed and the school moved into a new building, just a few hundred metres down the hill:

"When the original Myna National School closed in 1982, it was moving over here to the new school, today's St Brendan's," Carney explains, speaking to The Mayo News: "The school as such wasn't closed down. There was a continuation of the school, just with a new building, to facilitate larger numbers in a larger building."

All this had the positive side effect of old school ledgers and registers still being available.

Guests at the centenary event at St Brendan's were able to flick through and look for familiar names, and have a glimpse at the school's past.

Former Principal Walter Cox, Kathleen and Philip Murphy, Current Principal Mickey Carney and Máirín Higgins (Former Teacher) at old school house St Brendan’s NS Kilmeena on the occasion of marking the Centenary celebration of the National School in the community.
Pic: Conor McKeown

Is it Myna or St Brendan's school?

There is some fascinating story to be told about the name of the school, which might cause some confusion:

It might sound strange at first, that the old school was named Myna and today's facility is known by the name of St Brendan's.

This can be explained: When the old school building was opened in 1925, it was decided to call it St Brendan's.

But the Board of Education's policy at the time required school's to be named after the townlands on which they were situated. That's why the name Myna NS was chosen.  

To make matters a bit more complicated, when the new, larger building was opened in 1982, it was actually named St Brendan's.

But the authorities still refer to the old name, as principal Carney states: 

"If I received a cheque for money for St Brendan's, I wouldn't be able to cash in. As rules for the Department of Education state, that St Brendan's is still to be referred to as Myna NS. 

So even though it was known as St. Brendan's, all the department records are still Myna National School. And they will not change it."

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A new home for the old school

Kathleen and Philip Murphy in front of their home, the former Myna National School building, 1925-1982.

Today the walls of the old school building, that was abandoned in 1982, belong to Kathleen and Philip Murphy.

The couple bought the disused property in 2013 after what Kathleen calls “a weekend house-hunting adventure that wandered off the East Coast and straight into our hearts.”

An architect had stripped plaster to reveal original stone and re-imagined the one-time classrooms as an airy “broken-plan” family home—no doors between living spaces, but distinct rooms linked by archways big enough to manoeuvre a school desk through.

“We’re complete blow-ins,” Philip laughs, “but the minute we stepped inside we just nodded to each other—this was it.”

The Murphys have never forgotten the building’s first life. Curious passers-by still pause at the gate to share recollections ranging from idyllic to downright harrowing.

“One man said he’d happily have driven a bulldozer through the place,” Philip admits, “but even those tough memories matter; they’re part of our collective story.”

A story, that wasn't discontinued in 1982, but only moved a bit further down the hill. The Murphys can see the "new" building from their home, the old school building.

"Philip has mentioned some sad stories, that former pupils are reminded of," surmises Carney: "But that was society at the time. And it's great that education has come on so much. 

And children now love coming to school. It's a happy occasion. Plus, this community is growing from strength to strength. The school is expanding. The connection with the old school and the new school is lovely. It's not a vacant building anymore."

The former school building is a loving home now, and the students planted a tree there, as a symbol for the connection of old and the new. 

An old photo of then Myna NS in 1929.