Old Donegal Town schoolhouse converted into tourist accommodation

The Old Schoolhouse in Donegal Town has been converted into luxurious tourist accommodation and is due to open on June 2. 

Used as a school for 110 years from 1842 until 1952, the building had also been used as a doctor’s surgery for several decades before becoming vacant. 

Located in New Row and Marian Villas, the building now houses two high-end studio apartments and two spacious apartments, all designed for short-term stays.

Kate McCarthy of Eske Home fitted the interiors, blending modern comfort with the traditional building. 

The building’s history can still be seen, with the school sign still embedded on the building. It was opened as Donegal National School in September 1842 with two teachers, the Principal, Mr John W Hunter, aged 23, and with a salary of £15 per year, and assistant Mary Hunter, aged 22, with a salary of £8 per year.

By 1937, it was estimated that the number of pupils attending Donegal National School was 22, but come to the end of the forties, the state of the school was being questioned.  

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In September 1949, in a letter to the Department of Education, it was stated that there had been five cases of lung affection in the previous six months, three of which developed into tuberculosis. 

Parents of the affected and unaffected children were very concerned. Following a meeting of parents, in which 28 families out of 31 were represented, it was decided unanimously that they would not send their children back to the school until extra accommodation had been provided, resulting in a week-long closure for the school.

The building’s future usage as a school started to look doomed. In October 1949, in a letter dated in October 1949 from the Department of Education to Rev. Stephen Cave, rector of Donegal Parish, regarding the state of Donegal National School, called for a school relocation. 

It said: “It was deemed that the school was unsuitable for continued use and recommended that a new school on a fresh site was the proper solution in the case. The new building should be provided as soon as possible.”

Former pupil, Jackie Irwin remembered: “In 1947, there seemed to be a child boom. The school got too small, so my last two years were spent in the Presbyterian Church Hall. 

“We marched like soldiers from school to hall with Miss Coulter bringing up the rear. One wrong move and you heard it! We’d go up in the morning, down for lunch, and back, before returning at 3pm.”

Donegal National School closed its doors for the last time in 1952, with the pupils and teachers moving to the new school in The Glebe.