President opens €1.6m sports centre

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese officially opened a €1.65 million sports facility in Cork yesterday to mark the 50th anniversary of Scoil Bernadette special school.

The school, on the grounds of the Cope foundation in Montenotte, caters to students with mild general learning difficulties.

The facilities, which have been built through lottery funding, Government funding and fundraising by Cope, boasts a floodlit synthetic soccer pitch, tennis and basketball courts, a golf-skills practice facility, table-tennis tables and a 200 metre running/cycling and wheelchair track.