Knockjames School

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Knockjames operated in the parish of Tulla from 1857 until 1970 when it was amalgamated with the Tulla Boys School and the Tulla Girls School.
The school was built on a site from a holding which had been purchased by Fr Hugh Quigley under the Encumbered Estates Acts of 1849. At that time, Fr Quigley purchased the farm that his father was occupying. This farm was the only owned land at the time held “in fee” by a family. It is noted in the Primary Valuation as such.
Knockjames School catered for many of the children in the area for many years, and it has had an interesting history attached to it having been involved in some political issues.
The school was nearly closed in the early 1880s due to the schoolmaster’s refusal to join the Land League. This resulted in a boycott of the school by the neighbours as well as the beating given to a man who continued to send his children to the school during this time. The schoolmaster eventually resigned after having shots fired at him one evening when he was walking on the road.
In 1919, another incident occurred which resulted in parents’ once again boycotting the school. This was as a result of the appointment of a schoolmaster who had previously served in the British Armed Forces during World War I. While the school attendance did not suffer, shots were fired one morning by two men dressed as women, and that schoolmaster returned to England shortly after.
In 1959, the schoolhouse was noted to be in a very poor condition to the point where it was too dangerous to allow it to remain open. The parents in the area had lobbied for reparirs to be made, but the Department of Education had refused. An order to close the school and send the children to Tulla was obtained and parents refused to abide by it. Instead, a school was set up in the grounds of Knockjames Church and in 1960, the Department relented and allowed the school to reopen.
In 1970, all the outside schools in the parish were amalgamated to the separate boys school and girls school in Tulla. Knockjames School finally shut its doors. Many of its pupils have gone onto teach and serve in a variety of professions all over the world.
The prefab building used in the 1960s was taken down, and the original school building which is located just beyond the bridge is a ruin.
In 2014, a Knockjames School Reunion was held which was organised by Sean Fitzgerald and his family. This is a timeline event which can be viewed as a separate Chronicle.

Many thanks to John McMahon, a former pupil of Knockjames who graciously transcribed the 1873-1970 School Registers and has written a short history on Knockjames School. See online reference to Clare Library below.

Information provided by Jane Halloran Ryan Tulla Volunteer #ChroniclesChallenge