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A HISTORY OF BARRACK ST. BOYS' SCHOOL
(As written in 1987 for the Centenary magazine)

According to the Omagh Almanac & Co. Tyrone Directory of 1886, STRABANE was well endowed with educational institutions. The STRABANE
Academy in Derry Road was under the well-known academic Mr. Aeneas Kerr M.A., the Convent offered schooling at Mount St. Joseph under
the superioress Atkinson. Mrs. Baxter was Mistress of the Derry Road Infants School and Miss Kearney and Miss Risk ran Ladies Day Schools
at Canal Basin and Derry Road respectively. Misses Risk, McKee, Kearney and Brown coached Lady's music classes. There were National
Schools at Patrick Street under Mr. Thomas Dunne, Mr. Patrick McGowan was Head in Bridge End, and Mr. McClements was Principal of the 1st
Presbyterian Church School at Meetinghouse St. Christian Brothers had established a school in Lower Main Street in 1858 at the behest of Fr.
Brown V.P. for Strabane. However the Brothers closed down the school in 1879 and left the town. At Townsend Mr. John McCaffrey was
Master of Camus N.S., referred to as National School No. 1. The Derry Almanac of 1887 had one notable addition to this list under National
School entries i.e. Barrack Street, under the Head-ship of Mr. Felix Durnien.
Extremely Satisfactory
"The general tone of this school is extremely satisfactory and gives earnest of much thorough work since its opening last year". This report of
13th June 1887 summed up the first year of Barrack Street Strabane Male National School 1886. The first Principal of the school, Mr. Felix
Durnien late of Burgess N.S. Tipperary, had qualified with a 1st class certificate from St. Patrick's Teachers Training College in Druncondra,
Dublin in October 1887.
What's all this uproar?
Durnien was 37 years old when he came to Strabane. "What's all this uproar?" was a frequent scold uttered in a deep baritone rumbling voice.
He taught mostly by drill and practice, and punished severely for any misdemeanor. His salary was Ł70-00 per annum. In addition there was a
system called 'payment by results' which yielded a further 49 pounds 10 shillings for the Master. The Inspector examined the pupils and the
teacher benefited financially from the rate of success. The total, which Durnien obtained in 3rd May 1887, reflected considerable success in his
first year.
Well Organized
Durnien was obviously a well-organized teacher. He had to be! When the school opened there were 112 pupils. These children ranged from 1st
class to 6th. Durnien was the only member on the original teaching staff. The ratio of 112-1 would be a fearsome task for a teacher in any age.
The Site
The land was purchased in 1865 for the parish by Dr. Philip Devlin V.P. (1865 till his move to Waterside in 1872). The parish church of St. John
was situated at Townsend Street on the site of the present Grotto and the existing national school was close by. It was left to the Rev. Fr, Hugh
O'Hagan, V.P. of Strabane from 1879 till 1905 to organise the building of the new school. He was Chairman of the School Trustees for the
existing No. I school under John McCaffrey and he assumed the new role for Barrack Street. The old school at Townsend was closed down,
the girls transferred to the Convent and the boys came to Barrack Street. At that time Strabane had a population of 5,367; 3,377 lived in the
parish of Camus. The housing stock at that time numbered 712.
Proud Neighbours
The exterior of the old school house still retains its original shape. It was built of rough stone, partially cut. The roof was made of slates,
supported on the inside by large beams and it had a boarded floor. The entrance hall was located front centre and there was a large double
door providing access to the front classroom. The building was symmetrical in its external appearance. Large windows were located on the
two gavels and a pair of long tattered windows was found at the rear. There were three classrooms, two of which were tiered galleries with
low bench-type seats. Each had a fireplace above which was located a blackboard. The dimensions of these minor rooms were 13' x 19'10" x
1 l'8". By comparison the main room was considerably larger, measuring 50' x 25' x height I l'8". This room also lad a large fireplace. There were
13 desks in the principle classroom, each one measuring 12' I". A large desk for the teacher was provided, raised to a suitable height, from
which he was "Master of all He surveyed". in 1921 the School Inspector suggested that a glazed movable partition be erected to divide the large
room into two rooms, thus making four classrooms in all. A boundary wall was built around the school, which also enclosed the schoolyard at
the rear where there were two small toilets. The front was set of by a row of high railings. Contemporary sources relate that it was a neat
location and the neighbours were justifiably proud of their new local school.