Lochán na mBan - Loughanemon N.S. on Dúchas
Approximately 740,000 pages (288,000 pages in the pupils’ original exercise books; 451,000 pages in bound volumes) of folklore and local tradition were compiled by pupils from 5,000 primary schools in the Irish Free State between 1937 and 1939.
It was originally to run from 1937 to 1938 but was extended to 1939 in specific cases. For the duration of the project, more than 50,000 schoolchildren from 5,000 schools in the 26 counties of the Irish Free State were enlisted to collect folklore in their home districts. This included oral history, topographical information, folktales and legends, riddles and proverbs, games and pastimes, trades and crafts. The children recorded this material from their parents, grandparents, and neighbours.
The scheme resulted in the creation of over half a million manuscript pages, generally referred to as ‘Bailiúchán na Scol’ or ‘The Schools’ Collection’.
Loughanemon National School (which is the smaller school to the front of Gaelscoil Uileog de Búrca) contributed 38 stories to this collection and they can be viewed in their original copy format on the Dúchas website. In this section we have provided links directly to the relevant pages where the stories are recorded.
Here are some samples from 38 stories recorded by pupils of Loughanemon N.S. in 1938-1939. They provide an incredible look into the past and capture a moment in time - incredibly still in the handwriting of the children of the day.
Houses Where Mass Used to Be Long Ago
....there are many more on the website. Just click on any title above and the full list of titles is on the left hand panel in Dúchas website.
Click on image above to view actual opening page on Dúchas website.
This image shows the layout of the Dúchas website. The left hand panel lists all the topics covered by the pupils of Loughanemon NS (38) and the centre panel shows the pages from the actual copy where the stories were written down (note the damage done on the title page above). Finally, on the right panel shows the typed script taken from the handwritten story - many of these are typed up already, some still need some further work.
Click on image above to view actual page on Dúchas website.