A 108-year-old former Church of Ireland school became multidenominational yesterday.

Newtownwhite Educate Together National School (ETNS), which is near the estuary of the river Moy at Ballysokeery, Ballina, is the first Educate Together primary school in Co Mayo. It has 20 pupils.

Until last June, it was a Church of Ireland school under the patronage of the Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry.

Newtownwhite ETNS, which was officially opened yesterday by Taoiseach Enda Kenny is one of four new multidenominational schools to open this month.

School principal Catherine Boland thanked the Church of Ireland clergy who facilitated the establishment of Educate Together in Co Mayo through the donation of the Newtownwhite school building.

Chief executive of Educate Together Paul Rowe told the large gathering that the children starting school yesterday will almost certainly see the year 2100.

Human rights

He continued: “So we as educators have now got to seriously aspire to educate children not just for the 21st century but for the 22nd century. We believe that educating children in an atmosphere of human rights and equality is an optimum way to prepare them for a world which is dramatically more diverse than the world in which we grew up ourselves.”

After the official unveiling of a plaque to mark the opening of the school, the Taoiseach said the Catholic Church owned most schools in the country but was anxious to divest a number of them. “But clearly in any area around the country this requires a process of consultation and negotiation and it’s not without its difficulties,” he said.