Statement from the founding committee of Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh, Dundrum
August 7, 2012
We are delighted with the news that the Department of Education has appointed a patron for the school which is to open in 2014. This announcement means that the patron body can set about meeting the staffing and facilities requirements necessary to open the school on time to receive the first pupils in September 2014.
While there is still a lot of work to be done, this work is now mainly logistical. There remains the need to go out into the community and to make the parents and pupils of the surrounding Gaelscoileanna aware of the new choice in secondary education that this school represents. However, we’re certain, based on the massive levels of support that we received during the long seven years of our campaign, that we will have little difficulty attracting the number of students that will make the new school a success.
We are very pleased that the new school will have the community based multi-denominational ethos which was central to our campaign. It will build upon the firm foundations established by the growth in the primary Gaelscoileanna schools in the area. We look forward to working with An Foras Patrúnachta and the Department of Education in the future on this exiting new educational and cultural venture.
Committee Chairman, Fergal Ó Riain, paid tribute to all those involved in the campaign.
‘There was a huge number of parents and educators involved in our campaign to establish a new Irish language secondary school in South Dublin since 2004. In addition, many local politicians and people who are interested in furthering the growth of the Irish language played an active part in the campaign and are owed a debt of gratitude. I would like particularly to thank the principals and boards of the six local Gaelscoileanna in the area for their support as well as the current and previous CEO’s of County Dublin VEC, Marie Griffin and Pat O’Connor, who contributed enormously to our campaign over the years.’
‘We are sure that An Foras Patrúnachta, as the patron body of the new school, will support the establishment of the new school as a community resource promoting education through Irish for students from all cultural and religious backgrounds and we look forward enormously to working with An Foras Patrúnachta at this exciting time.’
