It’s a lake that will be familiar to those who enjoyed Pat Collins’ big screen adaptation of John McGahern’s seminal novel, That They May Face the Rising Sun – but last Easter Saturday, there was a different kind of drama all around Loch na Fooey.

Because scores of cyclists descended on Joyce Country for the Lap of the Lakes Sponsored Cycle – all in aid of Scoil Naomh Pádraig in Clochbhreac which is trying to boost its pupil numbers.

It’s not the first visionary approach to increasing its student base because the school made national headlines two years ago when it offered a house, rent-free for a year, for a family to move to the area and send their children to the school.

This time the monies raised will go towards offering what is effectively a grant to the parents of three Junior Infants to send their children to the school from September.

The Junior Infants must be from outside the school catchment area – and excluding the Corr na Móna area who are also on an enrolment drive – to commence in the school in September 2025.

The committee behind the initiative know that either travel expenses will be incurred by these families – or some families may come to live in the area altogether.

There is a digital hub in the area – gteic@Corrnamona which suitable for remote working – but the ‘grant’ is an added incentive.

“We plan to reimburse these families with €2,000 to help cover travel expenses or rent. We have called these travel/rent expenses bursaries,” explained a spokesperson.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for children to be educated in the beautiful Joyce Country Gaeltacht area surrounded by the Irish language and culture,” they added.

The school has been in the area for over 100 years – but with this threat hanging over them, parents and the wider community came together in January 2025 and set up a committee.

Easter Saturday’s Lap of the Lakes was the first successful step in that effort, with cyclists coming from as far away as Cork.

There was a long cycle 45 km around Loch na Fooey and a short cycle 22 km around Loch Measc Upper.

It was not a race so cyclists could use push bikes or electric bikes and cycle at their own pace.

Some were solo cyclists and some were groups from cycling clubs.

Both long and short cycles departed from Scoil Naomh Pádraig Clochbhreac at 11am and returned to Scoil Naomh Pádraig, Clochbhreac at around 1pm to enjoy a well-deserved “Ceol agus Craic. Bia agus deoch”.

“The cyclists and the local people alike thoroughly enjoyed the social occasion afterwards. Great memories were created on the day,” said the spokesperson.

The committee thanked all the volunteers who organised the event and the support of the many people who assisted in running the event on the day – with particular tribute to Clifden Gardaí and Ray McHugh who did trojan work.

“It was such a superb occasion that some are already talking about running it again next year – Lap of the Lakes 2026,” added the spokesperson.

It’s part of their way of address the problem of numbers that is confronting so many rural schools in Ireland; Scoil Naomh Pádraig Clochbhreac situated between Loch Measc and Loch Coirib, is trying to boost pupil numbers and keep the school in the community for the next generation.

For more information on the €2,000 bursaries, see https://www.snpclochbhreac.com/ and Facebook and Instagram. To register your interest, you can email clochbhreac25@gmail.com.

Pictured: Brothers Ruaidhrí and Fearghal Kineavy, with Corkonian Terence Devery and sons Harry and Cormac at Scoil Naomh Pádraig, Clochbhreac.