About
Our School

Originally a small school serving the local rural community, the growth in the population of Portlaoise town has had a significant impact on the school with several of our current pupils travelling from Portlaoise daily.

Barnashrone NS is now a microcosm of Irish society where children from every corner of the world bring their rich traditions and their languages and integrate with the indigenous population of Irish children laying the foundation stones for the Ireland we are becoming.

Principal and welcome

Principal’s Welcome

As Principal of Barnashrone National School I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your family.

Here in Barnashrone NS we are a small rural DEIS Catholic School under the patronage of the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin.

Our ethos aims at promoting the full and harmonious development of all aspects of the person of the pupil: intellectual, physical, cultural, moral and spiritual, including a living relationship with God and other people.

We welcome pupils of all abilities and pupils of all denominations and of none.

Click here to view the Principal's Welcome in full.

History of our School

Barnashrone National School is situated at the foothills of The Slieve Bloom Mountains approximately 5km from Mountmellick and 8km from Portlaoise Town. School records date back as far as 1864 and records from the early 20th century show that children paid a halfpenny a day to attend school.

The existing school structure opened on September 1st 1958. There were 64 children in attendance on that day.

The first principal of the new school was Mr Thomas Flynn. He was assisted by Susan Breen who spent 40 years as Deputy Principal, retiring in 1968.

Ms Aileen Delaney began teaching in Barnashrone in 2003 and upon the retirement of Mrs Fitzpatrick in 2008, Ms Delaney took up the role of Principal. Mr Noel Reynolds joined the teaching staff in February of that year and assumed the role of Deputy Principal.

Board of M

School Board of Management

Sean Smyth Chairperson and Patron Rep

Aileen Delaney Principal and Secretary

Noel Reynolds Teacher Rep

Miriam Chadwick Parent Rep

Sean McManus Parent Rep and Treasurer

Geraldine Wren Wider Community Rep

Pádraic Dolan Wider Community Rep

Ian McLoughlin Patron Rep

While the Principal of the school sees to the day to day management, there is a Board of Management which is responsible for oversight of all school matters.

You can contact any of the Board of Management through the school and messages will be passed on to them. The Board meets five or more times per year and any issues surrounding the management of the school are discussed.

For any complaints, please ensure that the Complaints’ Procedures are followed before contacting the Board of Management. The Board cannot accommodate any complaints before these procedures are followed.

The Board of Management can be contacted via email through barnashronens@yahoo.ie or alternatively or by letter to the school office. Please mark the email for the attention of the Chairperson or Principal. All correspondence is dealt with in a strictly private and confidential manner.

The life of the board is 4 years and the current board was formed in December 2023.

A new board will be established in December 2027.