Tulla Girls Roll Books

Transcribed by Jane Halloran Ryan of the Tulla Reaching Out Heritage Group.

Tulla Girls School also known as the Convent School was opened by the Sisters of Mercy in 1883. The Sisters were asked to come to Tulla by Rev. James Bowles, the parish priest of Tulla from 1856 until his death in 1880. It was Fr Bowles wish that the Sisters would come to Tulla to establish a community and school there. The Sisters arrived to Tulla with much fanfare in June 1883 and they quickly established a fee-paying school with the intention of becoming established as a National school once a new building was constructed. The numbers were initially small with classes in needlework, painting and music being taught by the nuns.
In 1885 the building for the school was completed and the Convent school was opened for both boys and girls together. Once the boys made their First Holy Communion, they transferred to the boys’ school.
The register transcribed is from the early part of the 20th century and it is a snapshot of where many of the girls resided who were students at the school. Our sincere thanks to the Sister of Mercy in Tulla and the Board of Management of St Mochulla’s National School for allowing us to transcribe this register. This project was funded by the Heritage Council.

For further information about the school, please see the following references:
Sisters of Mercy, Centenary of Tulla 1883-1983
Joan Kennedy, M. Ed thesis (2011) entitled “The Development of Primary Education in Tulla, Co. Clare, 1831-1970”.