Mass Times

Community Groups

Sport and GAA

Education – National Schools

Education – The Secondary School

Mass Times

Catholic Church, Milltown : Sundays 11.15 am and Saturdays 7.30 pm (fortnightly)

Community Groups

Sport and GAA

Milltown GAA Club was founded in 1889 and first appeared in the Kerry County Football championship the following year. By 1891 they were fielding 2 teams of 21 players, the only club to do so. In 1939 a Listry team entered the championship for the first time and in the 1940s they joined East Kerry. In 1947 Milltown won the Mid-Kerry championship and in the 1950s it amalgamated with Castlemaine, together winning the Mid-Kerry championship in 1953, 1961, 1972, and 1989 plus many other novice and junior championships and cups. They were County League Division 1 winners in 2001, Mid-Kerry Senior Champions in 2001 and Mid Kerry u-21 Champions in 2001.

Education

National Schools

Documentation on schooling in the area prior to the early 1800s is not available but it is reasonable to assume that in common with other areas of the country, children would have received what education there was in “hedge schools”, held in the open air under the hedgerows. They were taught by itinerant teachers during the summer months.
By 1826 there were 9 schools listed for Milltown and the surrounding areas catering for a total of 466 pupils. When the National Schools system was introduced nationally in 1831, the then parish priest Fr Quill made application for National Schools in the Milltown area. The Bishop of Kerry Dr Egan invited the Presentation Sisters to establish as foundation at Milltown and in July 1838 it opened with 300 children on the roll. This figure had risen to 700 by August and the children had to be taught in relays. Sr Theresa Kelly, the Superioress of the new Convent urged the Parish Priest to send the Presentation brothers to Milltown which they did and soon had established a new school with 300 boys enrolled. In 1846 however, due to insufficient funds and manpower, the Brothers were forced to leave and return to Killarney. The school continued to operate under the guidance of a lay-teacher until the Brothers returned in 1863. Several National Schools were established in the outlying areas of the parish at this time – Kilbonnane, Faha, Callinafercy and Rockfield.

A Protestant school was established in 1821 under the Patronage of Sir John and Lady Godfrey and numbers grew to a high point of 185 in 1832. Around 1914 it closed.

In 1958 the old Convent National School, site of the present senior section of the secondary school was condemned. The Sisters taught their classes in very difficult circumstances in the Muintir an Tire Hall until their new and present school was built in 1958. The brothers moved from the old Monastery school to a new school in 1964. This school stands on the site of the earlier parish church.

Kilbonnane NS closed in 1996 with a decline in numbers and in 1968 Rockfield NS also closed. Both sets of pupils were transferred to Faha School. Callinafercy School closed in 1969.

Secondary School

From 1943 the Presentation Sisters had run a secondary school catering for girls as far as the Inter Cert but in 1957 a full secondary school was opened. The Presentation Bothers followed suit in 1958 with a Post Primary School for boys and the two schools amalgamated in 1968 to form the present co-educational Mean Scoil na Toirbhirte. The Junior section of the school was completed in 1981. Sister Canisius, current principal of the school is due to retire in June 2005 sadly ending a long line of Presentation Brothers and Sisters. The building of a brand new school is currently being reviewed by the Department of Education and numbers are at their highest in the school’s history and growing every year.

The pupils of the school recently took part in “Ceol Croui” a collaborative music commission between Ian Archer (musician, formerly of Snow Patrol) and the organisation Songschool and Kerry County Council Housing Department under the Per Cent for Arts Scheme.