Copper Coast, Co. Waterford
Every single time I see this “Old School House” on the road between Bonmahon and Stradbally here in Co. Waterford, I stop the car and feel myself being drawn back in time.
It’s a building that oozes personality and each year the fuchsia seems to be more and more vibrant and appealing.
It’s hard to imagine it as a school ~ and in my mind it’s a place where a local head teacher and his/her family lived and spent evenings in front of the fire correcting arithmetic and compositions written with nib pens.
I hope I’ll be able to find out more about it one of these days.
I’d love to hear about the buildings that always stop you in your tracks.
SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland 
Love the old school house. England and Ireland has such heritage what I would call heritage here in Canada on the west coast you are lucky to find any house under the 1900’s and that being under and over is called heritage.
Thanks so much for writing. Yes, we have amazing heritage here in Ireland. It’s wonderful to be able to touch ancient history. (I must say I feel the Old School House) is probably only about 150 years old max so it’s young by comparison with so many other places around here!) It still haunts me though.
What thespiritkeepers says is so true. Over here “old” is more than 50 years – in Ireland that’s still a new building. Ha! I was actually downtown Ottawa today and was checking out the architecture and the older buildings. Such buildings require constant maintenance to keep them livable. I went by our parliament buildings and they are all covered in with tarps and scaffolding as workers were scurrying everywhere. I do appreciate older buildings.
Fun post Jean. Thank you.
Hi Paul, is it the extreme weather there that makes maintenance in Canada such an issue? Obviously all old places need to be maintained (and sadly some aren’t) but I imagine the freezing cold must play havoc with buildings?
It is the weather Jean. The water gets in the cracks and freezes and then expands and breaks the stone and such.I am sure that wrote a reply to this comment but I don’t see it. Hmmm.
Hi Paul, thanks for the clarification and for your perseverance.
I am always entranced by a falling-down old house, and imagining it when people lived in it, raised their families there, and wonder what their lives were like. This occurs only when I run across one while out driving in the country, and just come upon it. It is always a little sad to see it empty and alone.
Suz, that’s interesting that it only occurs when you are out driving in the country.
I get it all the time!
I do know exactly what you mean!!
Willow, you usually do! xxx
I love looking at the older buildings in Ireland, I am planning to come over for a few months just to write and the landscape there is just mesmerizing, My family is from Ireland and I did not have the good fortune of living there. Your posts are always enjoyable. I love this schoolhouse.
Hi Starlet, lovely to hear from you and thanks for your kind words.
Delighted to hear that you are planning to come to Ireland. It’s certainly very inspirational.
I remember as a child going to a zoo in Boston. On the grounds was a very tall round tower with bars in the window openings at the bottom and a door with bars on it..I never did find out what that structure was used for. My imagination soared thinking that it housed some kind of wild animal. It was showing signs of decay and added to the mystery of it. Or an old abandoned house left to a childs imagination becomes haunted especially at Halloween..
Joni, what a great picture you paint. Those childhood imaginings can be so, so vivid.
Looks like it’s being maintained Jean, which is good. So many examples in Ireland of properties abandoned to their fate. One of my favourite websites is abandonedireland.com
Yes, it has a maintained look about it. It’s awful to see buildings fall into total decay but I wonder how possible it would be to keep all of them going. I have a whole list of places that I love which are going to hell but they don’t have any great significance in the overall scheme of things.