The Future is bright in Ennistymon CBS

Four years after he founded the Christian Brothers, Edmund Rice received a letter from the Parish Priest of Ennistymon, Rev. Peter O' Loughlin requesting him to send two brothers to Ennistymon to educate the many boys in the area who because of the Penal Laws had no opportunity of receiving any education. That year was 1824, some twenty years before the Famine. Incredible as it may seem, after 184 years the brothers are still in Ennistymon and are down to their last man. Br. Liam O' Meara holds the distinction of being the last brother in a great line of distinguished educators who have come to teach at Ennistymon CBS schools.The Brothers, because of declining numbers are now transferring their schools to lay trusteeship.

This September 2008 after 184 years in Ennistymon, Ennistymon CBS will transfer  from the Trusteeship of the Christian Brothers to a Lay Trust. This means that Ennistymon CBS, like all other CBS schools, will be run by a limited company called The Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST). The Brothers' schools are part of a wider commitment by the Christian Brothers to Catholic Education in Ireland. The Congregation wishes now to hand on their school responsibilities to new trustees. They believe that it is the best way to guarantee the continuity of those schools into the future. They have decided to bring their schools together into the one trust - the Edmund Rice Schools Trust. Other congregations are also setting up new trusts. This whole movement by the various congregations contributes to the continuity of the Catholic school system in Ireland.

Ennistymon CBS has a long and proud tradition of educating boys from North and West Clare and that tradition still continues today. The school is going from strength to strength, each year producing excellent examination results and with the co-operation of Scoil Mhuire and Ennistymon Vocational School offers a bigger selection of subjects than any stand alone school in Clare. With pupils who are willing to travel from as far south as Mullagh and Quilty and as far North as Kilfenora and Kilshanny, the education tradition proudly lives on. The Brothers have handed on the torch to a new generation of educators and Brother Liam who continues to live in the monastery in Ennistymon feels that the school is in safe hands and will continue to flourish.

Gerry Sexton

Picture 1. shows Br. Liam O Meara handing keys to Leaving Certificate students Liam Conneely and Brian O Loughlin to mark the handing over of schools to lay trusteeship.

Picture 2. Shows from the left Leaving Certificate student Cathal O Domhnalláin and First Year student Ciarán Vaughan saying thank you to Edmund Rice for 184 years of education in Ennistymon CBS