Scoil na gCruach 1907-1971

CROAGHHS NATIONAL SCHOOL 25 CROAGHS NATIONAL SCHOOL :\t the beginning of the 20l" century the Croaghs area was thickly populated with over thirty children of school-going age. But there was no school! For a long time the people were clamouring for a national school lo be built in the district but Lo no avail. There was a national school in Edeninfagh six to seven miles lo the west and a school in Commeen in th e Glenfin parish seven to eight miles Lo the east. Children of tender years could not possibl y wal k to either. At that time, of course, there was no transport so the young generation of children would be left uneducated like their ancestors. Canon Mc Fadden PP of the parish of Glenties was approached on several occasions to contact the Board of Education but to no avail. In 1906 a new church in Edeninfagh in the parish ofiniskeel was bu il t. That same year the Lord Bishop of Raphoe , Most Rev Dr O 'Donnell who was a native of th e parish visited the church. When the ceremony ended the Bishop and Rev Mc Fadden stepped on to a waiting sidecar and we re heading for Glen ties. But a deputation from the Croaghs was there headed by J ames Gallagher, a parent of twe lve children and two other parents from the Croaghs went forward, doffed their caps and J ames Gallagher addressed the Bishop reverently saying "My Lord Bishop, we would like to speak to your Lordsh ip" Canon Mc Fadden, who was sitting on the Bishop 's left hand sid e is reported to have told the driver to drive on. Th Bishop re plied by saying "Oh, I want to hear what's troubling this good man" J ames Gallagher said "we are from the Croaghs district, six miles from here, there are over thirty children of schoolgoing age in our area who h ave no school Lo go to. We need a school for the children, my Lord" The Bishop promptly replied "we will h ave Lo see about your problem". Soon after that permission was given to build Croaghs school.