Heartbreak as Rathkenny NS to close — residents to meet on future of building

A public meeting has been organised for next week to discuss the future of Rathkenny National School, which is set to close after more than 120 years of serving its community.

The meeting on Wednesday, 1st September at 8pm in Rathkenny Community Centre will give local residents an opportunity to explore alternatives and raise concerns following confirmation from the Board of Management that the school is no longer viable due to a complete lack of enrolments for the coming year.

In a statement issued yesterday morning, the BOM said that as of now no pupils are enrolled for 2025/2026 and it has informed the Patron, Bishop Thomas Deenihan, the Department of Education and Youth (DoEY) and the local community of its decision. The board has requested formal approval to close the school, with the exact date to be agreed in due course.

The BOM said it “greatly appreciates the sterling efforts of the staff, parent body and local community over recent years to support a variety of initiatives to promote the school and attract additional enrolments.” It also paid tribute to the “rich history” of Rathkenny NS, which has educated generations of families, adding that an event will be organised in the coming months to celebrate its legacy.

Staff will now begin preparing for closure, including making arrangements for teaching and non-teaching staff, collating documents, and creating a stock inventory of resources. The BOM said it hopes to distribute some furniture and equipment to neighbouring schools.

The statement also highlighted falling pupil numbers nationally, with enrolments dropping from a peak of 567,772 in 2018 to a projected 499,000 by 2030. “The sharp decline in enrolment in St. Louis NS, Rathkenny is testament to this decline, which is particularly impactful on small rural parish communities, such as ours,” the board said.

Despite this confirmation, locals say they are heartbroken and want to see other options considered.

Wilkinstown mother Shirley O’Neill, whose eldest son attended the school, said she and others in the area were devastated at the news. “Rathkenny was never a school with big numbers, but there were always children attending,” she said. “In recent years parents have taken children out or enrolled them in nearby schools and now there are no pupils left.

Shirley whose son Robbie has autism, is particularly passionate about ensuring resources for those with additional needs are not overlooked. “They are giving clarity on the future of the school building. It is a community school, people should know what’s ahead or have some say. Is there an opportunity for a community hub for adults with additional needs?

"My son Robbie goes on a bus to the day facility in Prosper Meath in Navan. There is absolutely nothing for people with disabilities in the area. I just can’t give up. It’s an opportunity for the community to come together with ideas instead of closing the door and throwing away the key, not knowing what’s ahead.”

The Wilkinstown woman had previously launched a petition calling for the school to be repurposed rather than left idle. “Why can’t they think outside the box? Why can’t the school be used to support children with autism or other additional needs?” she asked. The petition gathered more than 370 signatures in just a couple of days and describes Rathkenny NS as “more than just a place of education” but a special, recently renovated school with “an all-weather soccer pitch, sensory room and new extension – a sanctuary for children with additional needs.”

Campaigners say the closure is particularly difficult to accept given the significant investment in recent years. “Only three or four years ago hundreds of thousands of euro were spent on a new extension, a sensory room, an all-weather pitch and landscaped gardens,” Ms O’Neill said. “The Minister herself even came to open it. To think that all of that could now be wasted is very hard to take.”

Ronnie Owens, who has close ties to the school, echoed her concerns. “I went to school there myself 60 years ago now and both of my parents taught there. My mother Sarah was a teacher and my father Seamus was the principal there for over 30 years from 1951 to around the early 1980s. The school had over 100 pupils at one stage. At one time there were 70 and 80 students with two teachers. It’s a different world nowadays. They would have been devastated to see the school close.”

Mr Owens noted that Rathkenny NS is the third rural school in the area to close, alongside Grangegeeth and Creewood. “It seems a pity to let such an up-to-date facility go when every other school is bursting at the seams. This meeting is to discuss alternative options. It is still a materially valuable resource. We want decision makers to review the situation to put a more long-term perspective before they take the disastrous decision to close such a fantastic facility.”

He added that the closure had upset many older residents. “The older generation are very upset. Rathkenny Community Centre is thriving with up to 200 juveniles playing football, and Rathkenny is the nearest primary school to that centre. There are questions to be asked about how we are managing our community. A school is more than an educational facility, it gives a social sense of belonging to a local area.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education and Youth confirmed enrolments had “dropped very significantly and very quickly.” In the 2021/22 school year there were 39 pupils at Rathkenny NS, but this had fallen to 13 in 2024/25.

They added that any closure decision rests with the Patron and follows consultation with local stakeholders. “A proposed closure is then subject to the agreement of the Department. The patron will continue to work with the Board of Management in the safeguarding of all school assets including finance as part of this process.”