THE DAILY roll call at Ballyglisheen National School, Borris, never takes too long - in fact one lapse in concentration and you'd have missed the names of every child in the entire school!

Its playground is never thronged, there's a choice where to sit in the mornings and as for school trips - hiring a bus at Ballyglisheen NS is never heard tell of!

All in all, school life at Ballyglisheen NS is quite remarkable - if not utterly unique - well what else would you expect with just seven children in the ENTIRE school!

Last Friday the diligent seven were back at Ballyglisheen NS for another year, welcomed warmly by the only teacher at the school, Maura Cody.

As it happens, all seven pupils are boys even though the rural school still remains a mixed school.

Another unique aspect of school life at Ballglisheen is that the seven come from just four families, Mark and Niall Moloney, Liam and Marty Grennan, Anthony and Noel Murphy and Martin Cummins.

The four families live locally so every morning is almost like a parents' association AGM!

"It is very unusual," smiled Catherine Moloney, Mark and Niall's mum.

"No one started at the school this year at all, so there is some doubt as to whether the school will stay open," she explained while adding that the children are very happy in Ballyglisheen and fond of teacher Ms Cody.