The Polytunnel Project – Loughmore National School, Co. Tipperary
“We made our first delivery of produce to The Cottage last Friday, April 26th. We delivered lettuce, baby radish, and a variety of fresh herbs.“
Angela Dunne, Principal of Loughmore NS
TY Hub was recently contacted by the principal of Loughmore NS in County Tipperary, Angela Dunne, about their Polytunnel Project. It is such a fantastic project that has already brought their first delivery to ‘The Cottage’. We hope you enjoy the read as much as we did.
Loughmore NS applied for and received funding from an ESD grant in the Autumn, to undertake a sustainable project. They have previous experience of having a school garden, which they lost in recent years due to a building project, and were keen to return to green-fingered work, they decided on a Polytunnel to grow fruit and vegetables for their local Community Co-Operative Tea-Rooms – the award winning ‘The Cottage’ in Loughmore. This is a very unique project. The school has installed a 20 Feet Polytunnel since December and have it all planted at this stage. It has been a joy to work on and continues to be the nicest classroom ever! Loughmore have a small group of local intergenerational volunteers to advise, assist and maintain the Polytunnel, particularly during school breaks and holidays.
The school and The Cottage have a very special relationship since The Cottage was established 10 years ago. It was the first Community Co-Operative Tea-Rooms in the country and they have been an inspiration to many other rural communities in Ireland and across Europe, in the years since. The pupils are always included, celebrated and treated so well by the Cottage staff, celebrating milestones down there such as 6th Class graduation meals, helping our ASD pupils from our two special classes with learning valuable social and life skills, and being taught how to make soup by the ladies in the Cottage with the produce of our school garden.
The students and teachers also learn a folksong a week at our School Assembly and regularly bring various groups of pupils down to the Cottage to sing for, and with, Active Retired groups who avail of the Cottage’s famous hospitality. This intergenerational relationship is invaluable to all.
Loughmore is an area steeped in History and Culture. We have the wonderful Nesbitts with their traditional music. Kathleen and John Nesbitt recently celebrated 50 years of teaching music with Loughmore Ceoltas. We have many sites of historical interest – ranging from the Norman (Purcell) Castle, the Salmon Weir, The Mill (Birthplace of Irish suffragette Hannah Sheehy- Skeefington), the Cormack Brothers Mausoleum, the Old Abbey Ruins. We also have many folktales such as the legendary Highwayman Captain Grant. The children in the school are currently undertaking a Creative Digital Heritage Project, bringing the local history recorded in the 1937 Duchas Project to life via art, drama, Minecraft, Lego, Green Screen projects, etc. There is much to discuss and highlight,
Most recently the school had the incredible good fortune of being bequeathed funds from the late wife of past pupil Irish Olympian John Kelly, from which we were enabled to build a multi-purpose hall and a pre-school facility. The benefits to the school and community are manifold. The story of John and Kati Kelly is incredible and we are so proud and humbled to have been the beneficiaries of their generosity and their motto of “Never Give Up!” will long remain in our hearts and fuel our motivation.
This school year Loughmore NS are marking the 90th Anniversary of their school building and the 10th Anniversary of their ASD Classes.
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