Clooney National School
Tulla, Clare
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 48 smaller than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 25 girls, 23 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 15279I the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Set in the East Clare countryside about 4 miles from Ennis, Clooney National School serves families at Carrahan, near Tulla, Co. Clare. It is also known as Scoil Náisiúnta Chluain Aodha, and takes 'Ar scáth a chéile a mhairimid' as its motto, glossed as depending on one another and recognising that actions and words affect others. Enrolment stands at 48 pupils, taught by 3 classroom teachers with a special education teacher. The building holds 4 classrooms, a resource room and a general purpose hall, and each classroom has an interactive whiteboard and iPads. A preschool operates on the grounds, along with a breakfast club and an after school service. Hurling, camogie and Gaelic football training take place at lunch time, with Cumann na mBunscol competitions in autumn and early summer and indoor hurling in January. Pupils also take part in soccer, handball, swimming, athletics, yoga and chess. A choir sings at religious ceremonies, charity events and Peace Proms. Other work includes the Green Schools programme, Creative Schools, Accelerated Reader and the STEPS Young Engineers Award, and pupils raise funds for charities.
History
The foundation stone was laid in 1900 and the school took in its first pupils on 18 February. An extension added in later years brought the building to 4 classrooms and a resource room, and the two original classrooms were converted into a general purpose hall. The blessing of that extension took place on 20 May 2009. A preschool opened on the school grounds in September 2022, and a breakfast club and after school service followed in September 2023.
Applying to Clooney National School
For a September 2027 place, a school's formal admissions process cannot begin before 1 October 2026. The school sets its own opening and closing dates in its annual admission notice.
National term dates 2026/27
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide primary school dates apply broadly to Clooney National School. Individual schools set their own discretionary closure days, confirm exact dates with the school.
- October Mid-Term Break: Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct 2026
- Christmas Holidays: Wed 23 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027
- February Mid-Term Break: Thu 18 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (post-primary schools: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027)
- Easter Holidays: Mon 22 Mar – Sun 4 Apr 2027
Primary schools close for the last two days of the February mid-term week and may use discretionary days to take the full week, so their break can be shorter than post-primary schools'.
Frequently asked questions about Clooney National School
How many pupils attend Clooney National School?
Clooney National School has 48 pupils enrolled, 25 girls and 23 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is Clooney National School a DEIS school?
No. Clooney National School is not part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme of additional supports for schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage. Not holding DEIS status says nothing about how good a school is, only about the profile of the community it serves.
What is the ethos of Clooney National School?
Clooney National School has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed primary school.