Gurteen Central National School
Ballinasloe, Galway
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 49 smaller than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 23 girls, 26 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 19770H the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
A Catholic primary school in Gurteen, near Ballinasloe in north east Co. Galway, St Kerrill's National School teaches 49 pupils. Classes are grouped into three rooms, with infants and 1st class together, 2nd to 4th in one room, and 5th and 6th in another. The school lies 15km from Mountbellew and 18km from Athenry, and Junction 16 of the M6 is 16km away. An all-weather astroturf pitch on the grounds is used for games and outdoor play in any weather. Infant classes work through Aistear, with play themes drawn from everyday settings such as shops, restaurants and the doctor's surgery. Irish is used outside lesson time as well, including a seó faisean at which the commentary is delivered as Gaeilge. Senior pupils teach chess to 3rd and 4th class, and pupils take part in Gaelic football, soccer, cycle training and a student council. The school gives its motto as Ní neart go cur le chéile.
History
The school takes its name from Coirill, a contemporary of St Patrick who was abbot of the monastery at Cloonkeenkerrill and later became a bishop. Schooling in the Gurteen area is recorded from 1831, when the district, then part of Cloonkeen Civil Parish, had three schools. One was a day school with 73 in attendance, teaching writing, arithmetic, grammar and bookkeeping, and the other two were hedge schools of roughly 50 pupils each. The day school entered the national system in 1853 with more than 100 on its roll, then closed in 1875, its pupils moving to Tample, where a new building followed in 1887. A school at Shanballard was built in 1896, and St Kerrill's opened at Cloonkeenkerrill in 1902. By the 1970s those buildings needed repair, and the Department of Education approved a single central school in their place, which opened in September 1981.
Applying to Gurteen Central 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 Gurteen Central 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 Gurteen Central National School
How many pupils attend Gurteen Central National School?
Gurteen Central National School has 49 pupils enrolled, 23 girls and 26 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is Gurteen Central National School a DEIS school?
No. Gurteen Central 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 Gurteen Central National School?
Gurteen Central National School has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed primary school.