Our School History

​​Glenbeg NS is a 6 mainstream teacher, country school, with 2 ASD classes and 2 full-time Special Education Teachers. It is located 3km from the town of Dungarvan, in the picturesque Brickey valley, overlooked by the Drum Hills. We welcomed our first pupils on the 26th November 1900 with one teacher. The school grew in the 1920-30’s and a 2nd teacher was employed. The school itself was one big room which could be divided and partitioned off when teaching. It was separated from the road by a stone wall which still stands today.

School in the 1900s

School in the mid 1980s

Pupils of Glenbeg with Modulator Circa 1910 - Photo used with permission of Waterford Museum http://www.waterfordmuseum.ie/

Students and Teacher Circa 1910 - Photo used with permission of Waterford Museum http://www.waterfordmuseum.ie/

Inside, the children had plenty of room to run and play with the girls on one side of a wall and the boys on the other. Typical of the time there was no heating so the teacher had to light an open fire in the morning which would take hours to heat the big room.
​Sometimes, the teacher would warm the children’s bottles by the stove so they would have a warm drink for their lunch. As with all schools of the time there was no running water!! The children all walked miles to get to school on time every morning. However, some of the older generation of Glenbeg remember fondly pausing on their way to school to  fish and play in the stream which is adjacent to the school. Some female past pupils have memories of been sent to fetch water from the stream to cook and do laundry with.

Letter of protest by Parents Action Committee for New School Building

Protest for new school building - 1985. Photo by Rory Wyley used with permission of Waterford Museum www.waterfordmuseum.ie

In 1987 the school underwent a major transformation. The three teachers and pupils were relocated for one year while the building went ahead. The refurbishment enhanced the space and each teacher had a room of their own with up-to-date facilities in each classroom.

In 2000 as Glenbeg NS celebrated its centenary it had nearly one hundred pupils and five teaching staff. The noughties saw a new extension, a porch and an office added.

2018 saw the opening of our first Special ASD class and we opened our 2nd ASD class in September 2019. We are delighted to welcome the new students and staff to these classes and look forward to exciting times ahead.

Prefabs and a permanent staff carpark have been added to accommodate the additional numbers in Glenbeg NS. We look forward to the next phase of our development in building a permanent extension to ensure the staff and pupils of Glenbeg NS have the best of facilities to help them grow and learn.
Glenbeg NS is a thriving, happy school. 

Reeling in the Years - Glenbeg N.S.

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School History - Written by students in 1988!