Naíonra Choill Mhic Thomasín - Waterford

02 Naíonra Choill Mhic Thomasín

Geographical Location: Kilmacthomas, County Waterford
Urban/Rural location: Rural
Setting type: Sessional, operating though the medium of the Irish language
Ownership: Community
Building type: Single-storey purpose built building
Setting size: 22 children

Naíonra Choill Mhic Thomasín is located in a rural area, on the edge of the village of Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford. It is a community based sessional setting, where children play and explore though the medium of Irish. It caters for 22 children at any one time, with 2 sessions 5 days per week. The children are aged 2-years 10 months to 5 years. 3 staff are employed. The setting is purpose-built, designed to look like a residential bungalow. It originally opened in 1982 in another location and moved to the current building in 1998. There is one large room with two satellite rooms opening off this space, one called the seomra spraoi (fun room) where children can engage in energetic play, and the other is a crannóg (a small circular room, with a low ceiling), which provides a quiet space. The gairdín (garden), while small, provides a variety of natural surfaces and materials. A smaller adjacent room provides a space for managerial functions and for meeting parents.