Local Notes: €7m upgrade for Ballyhaunis Community School
Children from Ballyhaunis area are pictured receiving their Summer Stars certificates and medals at Ballyhaunis Library. Also included are Eleanor Freyne (Ballyhaunis Librarian), Emer Donoghue and Darina Molloy (Senior Executive Librarians, Mayo County Library). Picture: Glynn's Photography
Builders may soon be back on site at Ballyhaunis Community School as management prepares for a €7 million investment in a new special needs unit.
“It’s really a vote of confidence in the school,” explained school principal David McDonagh who explained the project is at “stage 2A” in the Department of Education planning procedure - a reference to the stage at which a new project is fully designed and costed prior to going for planning approval.
The new buildings will house special classes and will have “a lot of ancillary equipment and facilities” while being fully integrated into the school, said Mr McDonagh.
The population of the school now stands at 720 after 150 students graduated earlier this year. Some 120 new students entered the school in September.
“Numbers are down slightly” yet “we’re very close to capacity”, said Mr McDonagh.
“We are under pressure for room and space. Without three prefabs we wouldn’t have been able to manage.”
The demographics of the wider Ballyhaunis area, which has one of the youngest and fastest growing populations in Ireland, means numbers of school-going children are still “very strong,” the principal explained.
The school meanwhile is expanding its offering of subjects. Computer science and physical education (PE) will now be options for Leaving Cert. Both subjects have proven popular, said Mr McDonagh, and were introduced in response to society in general.
“The whole area of sports science has really become interesting to young people," he noted.
The computer class with its coding gives students a chance to explore skills in information technology (IT).
The offering of the two new Leaving Cert subjects does, however, put pressure on the school's IT facilities.
“While computer science is heavily reliant on IT equipment, similarly the PE class students also need access to IT equipment,” explained Mr McDonagh.
The granting of DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) status to the school in 2022 has allowed it to appoint a new deputy principal and a home school liaison officer while also providing free school meals.
DEIS status comes with perks like school meals but also enhanced funding, thus taking some burdens off parents “like fees for mock exams”, said Mr McDonagh.
DEIS funding also requires recipient schools to focus on school improvement planning in the form of a self-evaluation process, “looking at where you are at and look at areas to improve on,” explained Mr McDonagh.
“DEIS also focuses on areas like retention,” he added. “We are very fortunate that we have very high retention rates.”
Having a school liaison officer who visits homes and parents “means we have someone who has time to make crucial links with the wider community", the principal added.
“It has raised the status of the school especially among new communities. They understand how the school works.”
A presentation to Michael Connolly from Cussolough, Brickens after his retirement on September 3 marked the end of a career which began when Michael joined the staff in Ballyhaunis Post Office (then the Post and Telegraphs, or P&T) in March 1981 as a telegram boy.
His former colleague Joe Byrne recalls: “His duty was to deliver telegrams around Ballyhaunis postal area on a bicycle. His other role was as a reserve postman which saw him deliver mail to the houses in Upper Main Street on foot.
“Michael was always thankful to the late Tom Hopkins who knew everyone in the town and could tell Michael which house the people he was looking for lived in. When Michael joined P&T there were six postmen working from Ballyhaunis: John Cleary (RIP), Dom Murphy (RIP), Paddy Fitzmaurice (RIP), Michael Lyons (RIP), Jimmy O’Malley (RIP) and Joe Byrne.
“There were postmen also in sub offices in Cloonfad, Kilkelly, Aghamore and Tooreen. Paddy Brennan was postmaster. There were four clerical staff and 20 staff in the telephone exchange upstairs between day and night telephonists.
"In 1983, Michael made history by being the last telegram boy in Ballyhaunis Post Office. This service was discontinued by P&T. The last telegram he delivered was to the Connell family of Redford, Ballyhaunis.
“He then was promoted as full-time postman to Castlerea district. He covered an area from Lisalway to Castleplunkett, Bushfield and finishing in Tarmon.
"In August 1984, Tom Folliard, the postman in Aghamore, retired and Michael got appointed to this post. This was the year [1984] P&T changed name to An Post.
"He spent 41 years on this post which brought him around Aghamore with some changes over the years. He had a great relationship with the people and plenty of tea houses."
During Michael’s career he also saw the change of the movement of mail by rail to road.
Michael was an active union member of the Communications Workers' Union branch in Ballyhaunis, having served on the committee and as chairperson over the years. He also over saw the biggest change in Ballyhaunis Post Office with the move on Friday, August 21, 2015 to a new An Post Delivery Services Unit (DSU) on Clare Road.
There was a retirement party for Michael on September 20th in the McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris with his family, work colleagues and many friends from Aghamore. Pat Kelly, Ballyhaunis, DSU Manager, presented him with a Genesis Cú Chulainn bronze statue. David Madden presented Michael with his union scroll and badge. Margaret Fannon, secretary of the Aghamore Community Development Company, also made a presentation.
"It has been a pleasure to work with Michael," noted Joe Byrne. "I wish him a healthy and happy retirement.”
Ballyhaunis will seek to revive its twinning relationship with the French town of Guilers.
Retired public representative Jim Higgins told a gathering to mark the 40th anniversary of the twinning that he would “put the shoulder to the wheel” with others to revive the activity of the town’s Twinning Association.
“It’s important to engage the younger generation,” explained Rena Burke, current chairperson of the Twinning Association.
She was speaking at a reception for three French visitors to Ballyhaunis at the town’s Corner Bar during the weekly French conversation hour hosted by Ballyhaunis Language Café.
Thierry Mestrius, who is President of Guilers Town Twinning Association travelled by car and ferry to Ballyhaunis along with Yvanne Meatrius, secretary of the association, and Marie Helene, treasurer.
Ms Burke and Jim Higgins spoke about the value of town twinning in promoting cultural and economic exchanges valuable to both sides. This point was stressed also by Gerry McGarry who explained how he was one of the facilitators of the twinning in his role as a leading member of Ballyhaunis Chamber of Commerce at the time.
The Guilers delegation have issued an invitation to Ballyhaunis people to visit Guilers during Easter 2026, explained Rena Burke.
“It is hoped that this will be the start of future regular exchanges,” said Rena, adding that her committee hopes to revamp the Pairc Guilers at the swimming pool car park in Ballyhaunis, “among other plans".
Located near the larger city of Brest on the northwestern coast of France, Guilers is also twinned with the Italian town of Baucina.
Local basket maker Tom Delaney will appear on the popular RTÉ television show on Friday next, October 10. The programme will feature the Brickens man’s basket-making process.
“They came to the yard in Mayo Abbey and filmed it before the summer,” explained Tom.
Tom left a role as an archaeologist in London in recent years to continue a family tradition by setting up his own basket-weaving workshop in Mayo Abbey as well as a website selling his wares under the Ould Crafty brand. He also teaches basket weaving with local willow.
Business is good, he says.
“Overall, everything is great, I've never been busier,” explained Tom. “The classes are full, and the website is constantly selling out of stock. The way the summer played out, I was always on the road, I did a lot of festivals, like Glastonbury, All Together Now, and Electric Picnic. So, it's nice to be home in Mayo now for a while.”
His best-selling products are a traditional round shopping basket as well as a bird feeder and obelisk.
Climate Café Connacht, a new space to allow locals discuss climate change, drew a crowd of 15 for its first meeting and there are plans for another gathering on October 18 at the Friary House.
That date coincides with Climate Week, organised by Mayo County Council, which is funding several events in Ballyhaunis.
Scientists have agreed that achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is essential for humanity's preservation as rising sea levels, extreme heat and violent storms threaten to make much of the world uninhabitable for future generations.
The European Union aims to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
