Garranewaterig School

Detached six-bay double-height primary school, dated 1956, having pair of projecting two-bay blocks flanking three-bay entrance to front (north-west). Recent extension to side (south-west). Pitched slate roof with central roughcast rendered chimneystack, rendered eaves and cast-iron rainwater goods. Flat bitumen clad roof to front section. Roughcast rendered walls with rendered plinth, carved limestone date plaque to front elevation pitched roofed block. Square-headed window openings with rendered sills, having six-over-six pane timber-sliding sash windows to front block. Tripartite timber casement windows to front elevation of pitched roofed block, having replacement aluminium casement windows to rear (south-east) elevation. Square-headed door openings, having timber battened door to front porch surmounted by rendered canopy, opening to concrete steps. Timber battened door to rear elevation within open flat-roofed porch, comprising concrete columns and canopy. Single-storey bitumen clad flat-roofed shelter to south-east of schoolyard having concrete columns front. Attached square-profile water tower to north-east with flat bitumen roof and roughcast rendered walls. Roughcast rendered walls and square-profile piers with steel gates and railings to front of site.

The form of this school is typical of national schools which were built following the foundation of the Irish Free State. This recognisable form and plan, with strong horizontality expressed by the use of flat roofs, was utilised by the Board of Works throughout Ireland. This school is unusual in that it retains many of its original features and materials such as timber sash windows, stone date plaque, concrete shelter and water tower.