Schools I have known!

I had a quick nostalgia fest for today's Wide Wednesday challenge - education. St James National School was built in 1937 and considered a model school for the new Free State. Amongst its charms were running water, gas lighting , indoor toilets and an outdoor shelter for the children in inclement weather. There were two rooms, one for the smallies and one for the bigger children. There was a girls' entrance and a boys' entrance and the playground was divided so boys played on one side and girls on the other. This building replaced a much earlier one, once decrepit and derelict but now a smart home.  This is where I started teaching when I first came to Ireland 23 years ago and I worked in the big room. There were generally around 25/28 pupils, two fulltime teachers including the principal, and a couple of part time teachers. I loved the school with its tall windows, open fireplaces, terrazzo floors and picture rails. It was extremely damp though and the once acclaimed loos were pretty grotty. A new school was built next door and we all moved out in 2007 - see extra, now with efficient solar panels, huge grounds and veg patches. 
Shortly after the school was built the pupils took part in a countrywide folklore survey, the older children interviewing their parents, grandparents and neighbours on all sort of things. Here is what Susannah Jane Pyburn collected from her father John on the questions of games and pastimes:

The games I play are: Spy, Nuts in May Rats and rabbits, The mulberry bush, Lazy Mary, London Bridges, Hop Scotch, Little Lally water, The grand old Duke of York, Farmer's in his den.
Spy is played as follows :- half the children go ahide and the other half search for them, and when they find them the searching party runs back to the den, so that the one found will not arrive before them. "Rats and rabbits" is played by a group of children. One row stands opposite another and one person stands a little distance from them. One row is known as "rats" and the other row is known as "rabbits" and when the one shouts rata, the "rats" run back to a certain point while the "rabbits" chase them. If the rabbits catch any one of them they bring them along to their side. This game is finished when all the children are on one side.
"London Bridges" is also played by a group of children and the larger the group is the longer it will take to play the game. Two children will go away and propose two things such as an apple or an orange. They return and raise their hands while all the others pass under them. The last person remains under their hands and will choose either of the two things. This person goes back of one of the two and when the game is finished they have tug of war.
"The farmer is in his den" is played thus ; a group of children encircle a boy known as a farmer. He takes a wife, the wife takes a child, the child takes a nurse, the nurse takes a dog and the dog takes a bone. Then they all go out except the bone which is another farmer and the same thing is repeated. "Little Sally Water" is played as follows : - a girl sits in the centre of a group of children with her eyes closed. They tell her to rise, to turn to the east and west and take the one she loves the best, her eyes being closed throughout the game.
I can remember all of these!


I also swung by Rusnacaragh National School where I also taught - looking very fine in its forest green, also with new solar panels. Another two roomed school, this one even smaller but with more children. They are hardly any entries in their Folklore questionnaire as the school was struck down with Diphtheria and many of the children's books were burnt. Here are a few superstitions and cures though, collected I think by the teacher Dd Ó Muimhneacháin:
Three lights in a house invite a wake.
A cock crowing during the day (evening) or in the middle of the night is a sign of a wake or death.
A donkey braying at night is a sign that a tinker has passed away.
Cure for Mumps (Plucamus):-
Sheep’s dropping boiled with milk served with milk
(a) Cure for Measles:-
Serve a ferret with milk and give remainder to patient
(b) Cure for Mumps:-
Tie a piece of meacain-dá-abha to a dog’s tail and let him drag it; then have it boiled with water and served.
(c ) Cure for Whooping-Cough:-
Pass child under a donkey from right to left three times. (also by some people while saying In the name of the Father etc.)

Not sure about the ferret.