Brockagh School

A house in Brockagh (Diver's house) was converted into a school in 1887 and the first pupils were registered there on September 26th that year. The school did not officially become a National School until July 1st 1888. This building which had two classrooms was rented from the owner and records show that in 1918 this rent amounted to £6.10s. per annum.

Master Mc Nulty who transferred from Ardlaghan was the first teacher in the school. One of the assistants (monitors) in the school in its early years was William Gallagher, a native of Galwolie who later went on to become Sir William Gallagher. There was also a Master Doherty teaching in the school at the end of the last century.

In the early part of this century Mr Ned Mc Glinchey was principal in Brockagh and a Miss Boyle assisted him.

Two Boyle sisters, Annie and Briget, from Rutland Island in Burtonport taught in the school before and at the start of the 1920s. They married two brothers from Moneen, Michael and Pat Hannigan. Annie went to teach in Ballykerrigan and Briget went to live in Dublin.

In 1921 a new school (now The Isaac Butt Heritage Centre Building) was built in Cloghanbeg and it opened for the first time on September 21st that year. Annie Hannigan was Principal and Briget Browne Mc Geehan (wife of Mr. Maurice Mc Geehan, the principal in Ardlaghan and a noted folklorist and historian) assisted her.

There was a Sinn Fein Court held in the old school before the Irish Free State was established. The judges in this court included Ned Arnold, Doctor Gormley and Paddy Neillin (Doherty of Commeen). The Court Clerk was Sergeant Fleming. Both Dan Mc Menamin and Willie Tom Mc Menamin acted as solicitors in some of the cases. Cunningham's of Brockagh was used as a jail.

In 1925 Patrick Campbell, a native of Kincasslagh was appointed principal in Brockagh. He only spent two years there until he exchanged places with Master Mc Geehan and so for the next 29 years the husband and wife team of Maurice and Briget Mc Geehan taught in the school.

On the morning of March 20th 1957 the senior pupils in Brockagh got a terrible shock when Master Mc Geehan dropped dead in the school. Mrs Mc Geehan retired from teaching at the summer holidays of that year.

In September 1957 Mrs Mary Kathleen Kirke who had been teaching in Ballykerrigan was appointed principal in Brockagh and Mary Harkin was appointed as her assistant.

In 1967, after the death of Master Campbell in Teevogue School, Brockagh was closed and it was amalgamated with Teevogue and Mrs Kirke became principal there.

The building was sold to the Quinn family that lived next door. They used it as their residence for a number of years and later when they moved to their new house they used the old school as a barn. In the late eighties the Glenfin Parish Council purchased the building from the Quinn family and started the process of developing a Heritage Centre.

The Centre opened its doors to the public for the first time on August 3rd 1998 and it was officially opened on Friday July 16th 1999.