Parish of Kilkee (Kilfearagh)

Moyasta N.S is the smaller of the two national schools in Kilkee parish. The school has twenty nine children on roll with two mainstream teachers and a learning support teacher. The staff also includes a secretary/caretaker and a Special Needs Assistant. The present school was built in 1961 and extended in 2002. The children have access to excellent facilities including a General Purpose room, a well stocked library, networked IT facilities and a wide range of resources and equipment. Outdoor facilities include a basketball court, a running track and extensive grounds.

The priority of the Principal and the staff in Moyasta N.S is the development of a caring, inclusive and stimulating learning environment. The staff are supported by an active parents association which has built up close ties with the board of management. Parents are involved in many of the schools activities and are active and supportive in fundraising .

The pupils and staff of Moyasta are actively involved in the parish. St. Flannan’s Church in Lisdeen has provided a focal point for many of our religious and social activities. Children, parents and teachers have built up a close connection with the wider community through the celebrations of First Holy Communion, Confirmation and other community gatherings. The annual Christmas Pageant performed by the Junior Classes, with music provided by the Senior Classes has become a highlight of Christmas for young and old. Every Christmas we share our musical talents with the visitors and residents in Regina House and St. Teresa’s Nursing Home and bring the Spirit of the season to the Senior Citizens

Moyasta N.S. aims to provided a rounded, holistic education to its pupils. The children take part in a wide range of activities with the aim of developing them to their full potential. We take part in a variety of events throughout the school year including the Credit Union Quiz, the K’nex engineering Challenge , the Children’s Book Festival, The WOW Reading Challenge and the Write a Book competition.

West Clare is famous for its musical and cultural traditions and the children of Moyasta N.S carry on this wonderful heritage. They are actively encouraged in music, song and dance. They participate every other year in the St. Patrick’s Day parade and The Wren on St. Stephen’s Day. The school band and choir take part in Féile na hInse and perform for Seachtain na Gaeilge.

Scoil Réalt na Mara and Moyasta N.S co-operate closely to keep Kilkee Parish sporting traditions alive. Last year the schools won the Primary Schools Division 2 title. The schools also have had a long tradition of success at the West Clare Schools Cross Country Championship.The children in Moyasta N.S. are aware of environmental issues. As part of the Green Schools programme there are lots of initiatives to help reduce the schools environmental impact. The school community try to reduce and reuse litter and waste and recycling is encouraged. A battery and mobile phone recycling service is made available to the whole community and there are regular clothes recycling collections also.

The children take part in the annual Spring Clean Campaign and enjoy making their environment litter free and more beautiful. Growing vegetables in the school garden has been an educational and enjoyable exercise for everyone.

Moyasta N.S. is a vibrant and happy school. Each child adds their own personality and talents and each year brings different opportunities for the school community to learn and grow.

Scoil Réalt na Mara, is a modern mixed national school. It began in September 1998 when the Convent Primary School and Boys National School amalgamated. It was opened in 1999 by Minister Sile de Valera. The school is situated in Chapel Street in the centre of Kilkee – a beautiful seaside resort.

Our Principal is Mrs. Fionnuala Murnane and there is a staff of eight teachers – Mrs. Fionnuala Murnane, Ms. Ann Hogan, Ms. Eleanor Corry, Mrs. Fiona Walshe, Ms. Jean Keating, Mrs. Maureen Flynn, Ms. Helen Cunningham and Ms. Martina O’Grady our Rural Co-Ordinator. We also have two special needs assistants catering for the needs of the children. We are very fortunate to have a part-time school secretary and caretaker.

Scoil Realt na Mara has a strong emphasis on the academic side of life, as well as a great variety of activities. Extra activities include computer classes, athletics, football, basketball and speech and drama. Recently the playground and an Astro-turf pitch were added to our facilities thus helping us to further promote the physical well-being of the pupils.
The children are also involved in many projects including letter & essay writing; Art competitions; Scoil Féile Dramaíochta; quizzes and the Discovery Primary Science programme. To encourage our children to take an active part in the awareness and care of our environment we also partake in the Green schools for which we have achieved Green School status; the Greenwave project which encourages children to look for growth in our flora and fauna and the growing of vegetables via the ‘Incredible Edibles’ project.

We are a healthy eating school, informing both children and parents on how and why healthy food choices are best. We are successfully partaking in the Food Dudes project which aims to get children eating their ‘5-a-day’ of fruit and vegetables and educating them on choosing the healthy eating option.

St Joseph’s Community College (1990) is an amalgamation of two long established second level schools in Kilkee.

The Sisters of Mercy set up a Primary School for girls in Kilkee in 1878. In the 1943 the sisters opened a Secondary Top. This was a continuation of the Primary School. The students were eligible for the certificate examinations. In 1960, the Secondary Top was recognised as a full Secondary School. The schools, primary and second level, were attached to the existing convent building, beside the church.

The Vocational School was established in 1969, by Clare VEC, to provide a comprehensive technical education for local students. The students sat Group Certificate and Intermediate Certificate Examinations each year.

In 1972 cooperation between both schools, through a joint Leaving Certificate programme, enhanced the range of subjects available to students. The Vocational School Students studied English, Gaeilge and Maths, for Leaving Certificate, at the Convent Secondary School and continued the study of the technical subjects, to Leaving Certificate Level, at the Vocational School. This arrangement operated successfully between the two schools until amalgamation in 1990.

In 1990 rationalisation of the two post primary schools took place, leading to the creation of Kilkee Community College.

The College offers a wide choice of subjects to all students. First Year students take a “taster timetable” for one year. During this year each student attends classes in Gaeilge, English, French, Maths, Business Studies, Social Personal & Health Education, Home Economics, Civic Social & Personal Education, Geography, Religious Education, Physical Education, Computing, Metalwork, Woodwork, History, Technical Graphics, Science, Art.  At the end of First Year students select the eleven subjects to be taken to Junior Cert.
Subjects studied at senior cycle, i.e. for the Leaving Certificate Examination include: Gaeilge, French, English, Maths, Accounting, Agricultural Science, Chemistry, Biology, Construction Studies, Design & Communications Graphics, Art, Engineering Studies. College staff includes a Chaplain and a Guidance Counsellor.

Both male and female students play schools’ Gaelic football and basketball. A Junior Boys’ team is involved in schools’ rugby. Athletes from the college have participated successfully in Cross Country as well as Track & Field events at county, provincial and national levels. In 2009 the Intermediate Boys’ and the Junior Girls’ teams completed in the All-Ireland Schools’ Cross Country in Belfast.