NewsWorld newsSchoolsNearly a dozen primary schools in County Carlow, Ireland have been forced to close after a sinister email threatening to carry out a mass shooting at one of the locations12:49, 27 May 2026Updated 13:03, 27 May 2026Nearly a dozen primary schools across Ireland have been been forced to close today after receiving a sinister email threatening to carry out a mass shooting.‌More than 10 schools in County Carlow were forced to close their doors after receiving the threatening email, which gardai are investigating but believe may be an elaborate hoax.‌St Fiacc's NS, Ballyconnell NS, Scoil Mhuire gan Smál, St Laserian's NS, Rathvilly primary school, Scoil Molaise in Old Leighlin, Scoil Mhuire Lourdes, Rathmore NS, Drumphea school, and St Columba's all decided to close after receiving the threat.‌St Joseph’s National School was also amongst those that closed, with headteacher and local councillor Fergal Browne speaking about the experience to local radio station KCLR.“Basically there was an email sent around from a Gmail account to numerous schools in Carlow," he explained.‌"Now some of the emails were actually wrong. I was speaking to two principals lately and they were mentioned but the email addresses were wrong on it. It seems to be a generic email that came around and God knows where it came from. It could have even come from a different country.”He added: “It (the email) just indicates there could be a mass shooting in a school. But I imagine it’s a hoax and the gardai have been liaising with all the schools and talking with myself this morning a good bit on it."There is an increased garda presence in the town as a result and it is obviously concerning but I want to reassure the parents that schools are very safe places and there are a lot of systems in place and we will learn from this as well,” he continued.Article continues below“Hopefully today we’ll all go home safely and sit down as a group of principals later on again when things calm down a bit and see how we can react to these threats in the future.”This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌EducationSchoolsIrelandBreaking News