In the 18th century very few people were literate. Very often it was only the minister of the parish who would have used books. It was not surprising since the cost of books was so high. These prices were taken from Samuel Boyce's notebook written in the early 1700's.

prices

A covered Bible cost 4s 8d and a Christian dictionary 5s and a half penny. This compares with a bedstead at 5s and the cost of thatching a single room 4s 1d.

In the first three decades of the 19th century there was a great interest and struggle for literacy in Ireland. Schooling was established as a result of popular demand. The landlords were dismisive of it initially, but the number of subversive teacher around, (with ideas remaining from the days of the United Irishmen and Ribbonite bands and similar views) meant that in order to maintain their control over the people the landlords were forced into providing schools which they could control. [see Cullen}

However, during the first 30 years of the 18th century people began to demand education. The population of the parish was probably at its peak about this time and they were more attracted to religion and literacy. The first school int eh area was founded at Carnglass. Then there was established a Sabbath school at Ballyrashane in 1820, a Private school in Ballyversal in 1823 at which there were 25 pupils in 1835 ~ 22 Presbyterian and 3 Church of Ireland. There is no mention of this school in either the Ordnance Survey Map of 1830 or the Griffiths Valuation so it is possible that it was held in a dwelling house. Later another school was built at Cloyfin North (sold in 1936 after Blagh School was built and now made into a bungalow). In 1832 Ballyvelton school opened iwth 80 pupils, 2 Church of Ireland, 68 Presbyterian and 10 others.

All of these schools were fee paying and there was nothing for the poorer members of the parish so the Presbyterian church provided another school beside the church at Kirkistown. This was built around 1830 and was handed over to the National Board shortly after it was established. By 1837 there were seven schools within the boundaries of the parish.

Despite the fact that there had been education of various sorts in the parish for 50 years the figures for the 1871 census show that only 472 people could read and write, 337 could read but not write and 207 describe themselves as illiterate. Since very few people are likely to claim illiteracy if not actually so, it is possible that many of these claiming to read or write may only have been barely able. However poor these figures may seem, the education of the people was improving. The 1841 census figures show that the parish had 1350 people over 5 years old. Of these 178 were illiterate. This is 13.1%. By 1871 there were 832 people over 7 years old and of these only 51 were illiterate. This is 6.1%. Even allowing for the fact that many of the 5 and 6 year olds would be illiterate, this does not disguise the fact that schools were making a difference to the people's ability to read and write.

In the census of 1871 Ballyrashane National School is stated as having 61 pupils of whom 32 were male and 29 female. Of thes 5 belonged to the Church of Ireland and the rest were Presbyterian. It is likely that there was still another school running, to which most of the Church of Ireland pupils went. If you compare the population figures from the census with the figures for the school attenders there would seem to be a lrge number ofchildren who did not go to the National School. There were, according to the census, 298 children under the age of 12.

It is difficult to know how long most of these schools stayed in existence but the only ones which were in operation in the first twenty years of the 20th century were Cloyfin and Ballyrashane National School. In Griffiths Valuation there is no mention of schools other than Ballyrashane, but it is possible that since these were generally private they would be held in people's houses and therefore may not have come to the attention of the valuation reporters.

Just before the end of the 19th century Ballyrashane National School moved to a new building on the opposite side of the road and the old one was used as stables untilt he 1930s when people stopped coming to church by pony and trap. This area is now used as a car park for the church. The new school was partly funded by the Irish Society and by bequests from former members of the congregation. Two more schools were established just on the border of Islandeffrick at Boghill and Ballyclabber. These schools divided the children by sex rather than age. Damhead school then came into existence and may have taken many of the children belonging to the townland of Ballindreen.

Around the time of the first world war there grew greater literacy and mobility of the country population and although the population was declining all the children of the parish attended school until they were fourteen. They mostly stayed in t he National (primary) school and did not go to secondary school, which had to be paid for until much later. Although attendance was compulsory it was generally accepted by the authorities that farming children would be kept at home on occasions to help with the housework and smaller children.

Cloyfin school was used until 1936 when the children wree transferred to the new school at Blagh (now also closed). By this time it was taking mostly children from the new housing estate and nearly all of the Ballyrashane children were attending the National School.

Ballyrashane National School is still standing and has been used up until recently as a Sunday School hall. All the children had desks which were arranged in rows from the smallest children at the front to the largest at the back. It had two teachers and they each taught in one half of the same room although there was another small classroom where they went for their religious instruction. Each minister would take the children of his denomination into the classroom for the duration of his weekly visit.

There was no such thing as school dinners. The children all brought packed lunches which was usually soda bread and home-made jam with a can of buttermilk if you were a farmer. the poorer families had to make do with a drink of water or eat their lunch dry. Many of the parish people remember having it eaten long before they ever go to school. Mr Anderson remembers getting into trouble because he was late for school due to the fact that he had to wait for the cow to be milked so that he could get the milk for his lunch.

During the twenties the children had to supply or buy their own jotters. The copy books were given to them as was ink and a pen. Former pupils remember how strict the teachers were about copying their text exactly in perfect sloping style. Cookery was taught on an old coal stove and the children made useful items in needlework. Prizes were given to those who came first, second and third in these subjects.

In looking at photographs of the school between 1919 and 1932 there would seem to have been a bout 69 children at the school. This was at the time when there were also schools at Boghill and Cloyfin. If the numbers are correct then there must have been quite a large number of children in the parish. The number in a photograph taken in 1938 shows 78 children present.

There may have been a distinction between Cloyfin and Ballyrashane schools. Cloyfin may have been an independent school and as such was attended mostly by farmers since several families even from as far away as Lisnagalt went to it rathr than Ballyrashane. In this case farmers supplied cartloads of peats for heating rather than sending the children with a peat each as in the case of Ballyrashane. The teacher herself came from Liswatty and came to school by pony and trap.

The National School building is no longer used by the church and it is in danger of being changed beyond all recognition to be made into a home for ex-prisoners.

When the present school was opened in 1955 it was intended to hold 110 pupils and it had sufficient numbers to employ three teachers and use all three classrooms. It is important to note that by this time all of the other schools had closed down. Even so, I doubt if the classes could have been very large. A photograph taken shortly after the opening of the new school shows only 65 pupils and it is unlikely ever to have exceeded this number. However, the numbers have declined continually ever since and there is now around 23 pupils and the future of schooing in the parish is in danger. Even allowing for the fact that the mobility of the people gives them the choice of taking their children to town schools, and that many have exercised this right, the numbers would still not reach 40.