Mayo pupils walk in the steps of ancestors on special school trip

PUPILS at Errew National School have walked in the footsteps of previous generations while enjoying access to a unique school archive.

On a special history trip, Errew NS warmly welcomed Jim O’Connor, local studies librarian at Mayo County Library, for a talk in in the local community centre and visit to the former old classroom in Errew Monastery.

In June 2022, Errew NS, as custodians, donated the historical roll books from Errew Monastery Boys’ School, which closed in 1975, Errew Girls’ School, which moved to the new premises in 1961, and the present Errew NS, up to 2019, to Mayo County Library headquarters in Castlebar.

The collection also included daily report books, visitor books and various documents which contained interesting information on the workings of the monastery in earliest times and offered a great insight into understanding the history of the place.

Jim described how all the books were carefully dried, cleaned, recorded and assessed before being included in the library schedule of digitisation programme.

Funding and assistance from University College Galway enabled scanning of all documents on site and has ensured the preservation of this local historical information for future generations.

Jim brought along a selection of newly covered roll books, copies of some of the pupils grandfathers and granduncles names, and some photographs and old newspaper articles of interest. He also discussed life in the old schools and the rich history of Errew and Frenchill.

A stroll up the avenue to the monastery saw pupils following the footsteps of many of their relations. And they posed for a photograph on the front door steps of the monastery, as many pupils had done so before them, before visiting the old classroom. There they saw the remains of the rusted steps leading to the now blocked classroom door and explored the former ‘thresher barn’ and monastery bell tower.

The barn was meant to be a large chapel but due to local population numbers being halved during the famine, monies were used to feed the community rather than completing the build at the time.

They spotted the ‘crow’s foot’ sapper benchmark located on the corner of the barn and visited Errew cemetery, where 22 Franciscan Brothers are buried.

Pupils found the grave stones of Br. Bernard Garry and Br. Paul O’Donnell, founders of Errew Monastery, Br. Sylvester Lynch who had a cross monument at Frenchill crossroads erected in his memory, and Br. Aloysius McGoldrick who died in 1977, and who many family members remember.

Acting principal Ciara Walsh and acting deputy principal Kate Tiernan extended huge thanks to Jim O’Connor for his generous time and vast historical knowledge and to Janine Hoban of Errew Community Committee for facilitating the visit and tour of Errew monastery. Thanks was also extended to the Veale family for welcoming Errew NS to the monastery.

All available records from the three schools have been published online by Ancestry and can now be accessed through ancestry.com.

The collection, dating from 1884, is a really valuable resource for genealogical research or for all those interested in social history.