St. Michael's National School

Bere Island has one national school, with 22 pupils and two teachers.   Principal is Mrs. Kathleen Twomey, and Mrs. Deirdre O'Donoghue, with Mr. Barry Harrington coming in every Friday.   

Last September, the pupils, under the supervision of Deirdre Keohane,  painted a mural on the wall of the school.  The project was sponsored by the County Council, through the Arts Council with the help of Mr. Ian Mc.Donagh. The mural has a Celtic theme and features Fionn MacCumhal and the Salomon of knowledge, The Children of Lir, local heritage sites such as the Standing Stone in Greenane, the Lighthouse and the Wedge Tomb in Rerrin. 

The pupils  and teachers of Saint Michael’s National School recently took part in a music education project which entailed three workshops and two recitals by the String Quartet from the School of Music in Cork. This project was funded by the Arts Council and the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, which was enjoyed by all.

The school also had a visit from a company called Animal Magic who introduced animals to the children such as a Chillian Tarantula, a Python, a Harris Hawk and a Chinchilla. The children got to touch the animals and familiarise themselves with them, which was a unique experience.