LONG lost roll books from the old schoolhouse in Ballyroe have been handed over to the Kerry County Library.

For many years the fate of the books had remained a mystery, until one day when former pupil of the school, Margaret Murphy, who was planning a Ballyroe school reunion at the time, received a phone call out of the blue.

“When we were organising the reunion, I was on the radio and mentioned we were searching for the roll books,” said Margaret Murphy.

“I got a phone call from CBS Clounalour and they told me that they had the roll books. It was amazing to get them, because we can see our parents and grandparents, neighbours and sisters in them. Seeing my Mother’s name in the roll book in particular was special,” said Margaret.

The roll books wound up in the CBS because, when the Ballyroe school closed in 1971, all the roll books went with the boys who were being sent to CBS.

The school in Ballyroe, was built in 1910 and due to declining numbers it was closed down in 1971. The school remained intact until 2006, until it was destroyed to make way for work on the Tralee bypass.

The old school’s demolition caused distress to many in the Ballyroe locality who saw the building as one of the last few focal points of the community.

“We were devastated when the school house was knocked, it was the only bit of local history we had in the area,” said Margaret.

The roll books are a great new addition for Kerry County Library archivist, Micheal Lynch, in helping him to catalogue the genealogy of the local area.

“As a genealogical record for people who attended Ballyroe school they are invaluable, because they go back to 1872, to a time when there was a previous school house all the way to 1971 when it was closed,” said Micheal Lynch.

The books are accessible for anyone to view, in the archive section at Kerry County Library.