Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa
Offaly
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 83 smaller than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 34 girls, 49 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 17188P the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Clonmacnois National School (St. Ciarán's N.S.) is a co-educational Catholic primary school in Shannonbridge, County Offaly, under the patronage of the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois. With close to 90 pupils, it is a small school that sees each child as unique and special and deserving of every opportunity to reach their full potential. Teachers, staff, the Board of Management, parents and pupils work together to support each child's social, cultural, spiritual, emotional, physical and academic development, and the school's motto is "Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí". Pupils are taught in four multi-grade classes: Junior and Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd Class, 3rd and 4th Class, and 5th and 6th Class, with the support of special education teachers and a special needs assistant. Physical activity is a big part of school life through the Active School Flag programme, which includes ten minutes of daily movement for the "Run Around the EU" challenge, weekly athletics with Offaly Sports Partnership, GAA coaching with Offaly GAA and a gymnastics programme with School Fitness Ireland.
History
Clonmacnois N.S. serves St. Ciarán's Parish, which once had four national schools: Clonfanlough, Clonlyon, Clonmacnois and Shannonbridge. The earliest on record, Clonfanlough, opened on 1 January 1843. In 1974 Clonfanlough and Clonlyon closed and their pupils transferred to Clonmacnois, which needed an extra classroom as a result. A staff room, a resource room and two more classrooms were added in 1995. Rising enrolment made Clonmacnois a four-teacher school in 2002, when another classroom was built under the Department of Education's devolved grant scheme. In July 2007 Shannonbridge N.S. closed after its numbers declined, and its pupils also moved to Clonmacnois, leaving it as the parish's one primary school.
Applying to Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa
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 Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa. 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 Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa
How many pupils attend Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa?
Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa has 83 pupils enrolled, 34 girls and 49 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa a DEIS school?
No. Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa 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 Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa?
Scoil Náisiúnta Chiarain Naofa has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed primary school.