Áthas for principal and pupils as gaelscoil nua gets go-ahead
August 9, 2012
The principal of a Co Cork gaelscoil says she is delighted that An Bord Pleanála has granted permission for a new school, which she has been seeking for the past 18 years.
Carmel Nic Airt said that since Gaelscoil Chloch na gCoillte was founded in 1994, with 20 pupils and her as the sole teacher, it has been housed in various rented buildings around Clonakilty.
“This is a great and historic day for the pupils, parents, and staff of an gaelscoil,” she said after the announcement yesterday. “At last we can proceed with the building of a proper purpose-built school that will be suitable for the needs of the children and staff with all the facilities that they should have had years ago as a right.
“I want to pay tribute and say a sincere go raibh maith agat to the families who, through the many hard years, supported our school when we had far from ideal conditions for their children.”
The school has expanded since and now has almost 250 pupils and more than 20 staff.
“It is ironic today that there are young students enrolled in our school whose parents were here in the early years. “We also have one teacher on our staff who attended here as a pupil.”
She said there had been a number of false dawns, particularly around election times, when political candidates made various promises to build a new school. “We are now moving forward as we prepare to commence the building of An Gaelscoil Nua at the site at Fernhill Rd.”
“The taxpayers of the country will be relieved to know that their money will no longer to expended on rented private properties, thankful through we are to have had those over the years.”
The mayor of Clonakilty, Cllr Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin, also welcomed the news, and paid tribute to Ms Nic Airt’s perseverance, “Seven years ago the Department of Education secured a site at Fernhill Rd, but it is only now, at long last, that the building is about to start,” he said.
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