Kilthomane National School

Another lovely day - crisp and bright. A fairly relaxing morning, reading papers, a spot of weeding int he polytunnel and a bit of bramble bashing.
In the afternoon I set off to discover a bit of dereliction. I wanted to go to poor old Dunbeacon school - a two roomed national school built in1902 but now severely crumbling. The roof is collapsing, the wood is rotting, the windows have fallen in and the the yard is now a mass of Japanese knotweed.
Whilst in the area I decided to try and find a well. There seemed to be a track across fields to it, possible to get too from either end. End one - a farmhouse, lots of cars outside and the track going right in front of the house. I knocked but no answer and decided to try the other end. End two - a jump over a gate then down a long muddy boreen with fresh evidence of cattle. The well was described as being at the bottom of an outcrop of rock. It was said to be good for sore eyes and was effective for both Catholics and Protestants! Said outcrop was found but it was incredibly muddy - a welly nearly got sucked off at one point. It felt a bit spooky too - I could see an old house in the distance, one of those you're no sure if it might still be occupied. Large clouds were gathering and I decided to call it a day.
I had just turned round when this rainbow appearred and the mountain lit up. Yes, I am standing in the middle of the road and those odd circles around me are doughnuts - much beloved by boy racers for reasons I don't get. All that burning rubber must wreck your tyres. Anyway, the little building in the background is another derelict school only a few miles from the first one. It is in the middle of nowhere and I often wonder who actually attended and where they came from. It's called Kilthomane. Built in 1909, it seems to have replaced an older building. In 1914 Miss Hamilton was the Principal. The school was flourishing in the 1930s, closed in the 60s and is now a roofless shell.

We're off out for a pizza followed by a trip to the cinema - The Light Between Oceans, tissues might be needed.  Catch up tomorrow.

And thanks to Serpent for hosting DS for November.