Deelarchief 24 - Castlecomer Convent Papers

On 29 June 1829 the Presentation Sisters came to the parish of Castlecomer. It was the year of Catholic Emancipation which meant that Catholics were now free to practice their religion and children could attend Catholic schools. Coal mining was the primary livelihood of the Castlecomer area in this period and the large families had need for devoted teachers. The curate Reverend John Walsh appealed to the Vicar General of the diocese for permission to have the Presentation Sisters introduced to the parish. Permission was granted and Reverend Walsh approached the Presentation Sisters in Kilkenny where three Sisters volunteered for the foundation, Mother Lewis Aylward, Mother Angela Feehan and Sr. Catherine Aylward.
Upon arriving in Castlecomer the Sisters occupied a small four roomed thatched cottage which stood opposite the present convent and taught their first pupils in the sacristy attached to the parish church. In 1830 they moved into their convent, which was further extended in time. In the same year a charity sermon was preached by Bishop Kinsella and a collection as taken up for the furnishing of the school attached to the new Presentation Convent. The school had previously been a fever hospital and became later known as St. Anne’s. This school was demolished in 1965 when a new Primary School was erected.
In 1879 an old hospital building was on Kilkenny Street was given to the nuns by Mr. Charles Wandesforde, the local landlord. They extended their convent on the site of the hospital and the numbers of school pupils continued to increase. The Parish priest wrote to the Wandesforde’s in 1885 looking for a piece of land to accommodate the growing numbers. Lady Wandesforde turned him down. A Church of Ireland member, she was unhappy that each child would not have a bible. Eventually the Sisters secured the ground adjacent to the hospital and in 1885 St. Mary’s school was also built. The remaining school buildings followed in 1898. In 1937 a Secondary Top under the Primary School Board was begun and after two years, six pupils sat for the Intermediate Certificate Examination. In 1941 they completed the Leaving Certificate. Numbers in the Secondary Top were small with approximately 90 girls attending but the results were good. In 1967 the Free Education Scheme was launched which saw an increase in student numbers and the introduction of co-education. In 1968 the Secondary Top became a Secondary School.
In 1977 an all-purpose room and classroom were added to the Primary school and later the outdoor playgrounds were extended providing basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. The 1980’s saw the need for a new school and after years of negotiation with the Department of Education the building of Castlecomer Community School began. The school was officially opened on 23 October 1990 by Minister Mary O’Rourke.
In 2006 only five Sisters remained and the cost of running the convent was too high. Thus the decision to sell the convent was made. The 177 year presence of the Presentation Sisters in Castlecomer continued until April 2007 when the convent closed its doors for good.
Sr. Nuala Horan, remained in Castlecomer as the Principal of the Primary School and took up residence at 17 Beechcourt. She was joined by two Sisters who had recently returned from New Zealand, Sr. Mary Martin and Sr. Juliana Purcell.