Marooned in a lake of tarmacadam and looking rather bleak, this is the former National School in Esker, County Galway. Solidly built of limestone and designed in a loosely-Tudoresque fashion, it would have contained little more than two large rooms, one for teaching boys, the other for girls. A well-carved plaque over the entrance carries the date 1858, which was two years after the Board of Works had taken over responsibility for the design of such buildings from the architectural department of the National Education Board. Above the date is an heraldic crest featuring a running stag, presumably part of the coat of arms of the local landowner?
A friend of mine lives in one virtually identical at Newbridge Co Roscommon(?)
Robert,
You are correct – probably – on a landlord connection for the crest of the stag (a hart), The surname of the local landlord in the mid-1800’s was Harter.
Why is this at risk ?
And above the stag some writing which I can’t make out, do you know what it is? And looks like somebody’s monogram initials under the stag, again too curly/swirly to make out. This building looks like it is still in use.