The story of ‘Dairbhe’, from barefoot scholars to Cionnaith O’Sullivan.

A special community celebration took place recently at Darrara Community Centre to mark two remarkable milestones: the 40th anniversary of the Community Centre, and 138 years since the founding of the Old School, which first opened its doors in 1885.

The weekend brought together generations of local people to celebrate Darrara’s proud history, from the barefoot children who once walked through the fields to school, to the dedicated council members who transformed the building into the vibrant hub it is today.

DAIRBHE

Local historian Diarmuid Kingston captivated the crowd with stories of Darrara’s past, from the meaning behind the newly unveiled ‘The Pound Cross’ plaque, to the varied spellings of Darrara found across old maps and documents, as well as fascinating details about the local famine cottage and the Old School itself.

He explained that Darrara derives from the Irish word ‘Dairbhe’, meaning ‘oak plantation’. For centuries, Ireland had no official spelling system for place names, so mapmakers and historians wrote names phonetically, leading to inconsistent spellings across maps, leases, and legal documents.

MR L-R Pa O' Flynn & Richard Fleming browsing the 40th Anniversary Community Party

Modern Irish standardisation has since formalised the spelling we use today, although earlier versions still appear in older records.

Mr Kingston also spoke about The Pound Cross, a physical enclosure once used for impounded or stray animals, and common across Ireland until relatively recent times.

Every town and rural district, including Darrara, had one.

These Pounds were especially busy during the late 1800s at the height of the Land Wars, when farmers who could not pay exorbitant rents saw their cattle seized and sold off by police.

Mr Kingston then brought listeners back to 1887, when children travelled to Darrara National School on foot, often barefoot, carrying turf for the school fire and a bottle of cocoa to warm by the hearth. Their parents, shaped by the hardships of post-Famine Ireland, deeply valued education as a path to a better life, which has previously been illegal, and there were hefty fines of £10 if teachers were caught.

MR L-R The Catering Cousins on the day were Paul Hayes & Mary Wycherley

Before the new school opened, records show that a hedge school operated beside Darrara Church.

The Old School site at The Pound Cross was purchased from tenant farmer James White, who marked the lease with an ‘X’, and held on a 99-year lease by Rev Fr Jeremiah Lucey.

Between 80 and 120 pupils attended Darrara National School each year for nearly a century until 1985, when the building closed for the last time, and the new school opened up the road.

But Darrara’s story didn’t end there. That same year, a new Muintir na Tíre branch was formed, and under the guidance of Monsignor Daly, the Old School was reborn as Darrara Community Centre.

Night after night, 20 local volunteers gathered from 7.30pm onwards, pulling up floorboards, pouring concrete, plastering, painting, and selling tickets for the famous ‘Two-Car Raffle’.

Their vision and hard work laid the foundation for a new era of community life in Darrara.

LOCAL HEROES

Forty years later, that same spirit continues to shine. At a special ceremony for past and present members of Darrara Community Council on Thursday, October 9th, Certificates of Recognition were presented by the CEO of Muintir na Tíre, Rosie Palmer, to lifetime members of Darrara Community Council Noreen Harrington, Mary Anglin, and Pious Lyons, for their outstanding dedication and Service, and to Paul McManus, who oversaw the major redevelopment of the community centre in 2013–2014 and served as chairperson for eight years.

Pious Lyons, Betty Woulfe and Kevin Hodnett at the celebrations in Darrara to mark the 40th anniversary of the Community Centre.

A highlight of the weekend was the unveiling of the new historical plaque, ‘The Pound Cross’, unveiled by the family of Cionnaith O’Sullivan.

Cionnaith was the much-loved, recently deceased former PRO of Darrara Community Council, whose grá for Clonakilty and Darrara was so evident in everything he did.

The plaque was unveiled by his mother, Mary O’Sullivan, following a tribute that was delivered in both Irish and English. Cionnaith’s wife, Nina, then cut the ribbon to officially open the historic exhibition.

Chairperson of Darrara Community Council, Angela Linehan took the opportunity to remind all that the gathering wasn’t just about looking back, but it was also‘about celebrating all that has been achieved together.’

“Remembering past times,” (L to R), Ann Lee and Kevin Finn who attended Darrara old School remember stories of their school days.

She said it was about ‘remembering those who helped us along the way, and looking ahead to the future of our community.

‘Darrara will always be a place where people come together, to learn, to share, and to socialise’.

DARRARA HISTORIC EXHIBITION

The Darrara Historic Exhibition gave a chance to step back in time with class photographs dating back 97 years, a cosy ‘hot cocoa by the fire’ display, and stories of the Ring Rovers GAA Club, founded in 1945.

Visitors also got to press clippings from the 1979 UFO sighting in Ring Village , photos from the last day at the Old School (1985) and the opening of the New School (1986), photos of the evolution of Darrara Community Council over the past four decades, along with the work from a recent children’s art competition that was entitled ‘I Love Darrara – Past, Present and Future’.