All-Irish secondary school for Carrigaline

THE announcement that a new all-Irish, second-level school is to open in Carrigaline, Co Cork, in 2014 has been welcomed by county councillors.

Carrigaline is one of 14 locations around Ireland where the Department of Education says there is enough demand for places to warrant opening new schools in 2013 or 2014.

The town’s only second-level facility, Carrigaline Community School, is attended by more than 900 students.

County Cork Vocational Education Committee (VEC) bought agricultural land at Ballinrea, north of the town, last year.

Last week, county councillors voted to rezone the site for educational use in an amendment to the Carrigaline local area plan.

Labour Party cllr Paula Desmond said news that the Department of Education is sanctioning a new school to open in the area is very welcome.

“There has been a long-identified need for a gaelcholáiste in the area. The town has a hugely successful gaelscoil and there are many others in the suburbs on the southside,” she said.

Ms Desmond said a strict condition of the revised zoning is that any school building project would also facilitate improvements in traffic management in the area.

The city already has all-Irish second-level schools in Glanmire (Coláiste an Phiarsaigh), North Monastery Road (Gaelcholáiste Mhuire) and the city centre (Coláiste Daibhéid), but none directly serving catchment areas in the south city and county, which has gaelscoils for primary pupils in Ballyphehane, Mahon, Douglas, Wilton and Kinsale.

While the education-zoned site in Carrigaline is owned by the county VEC, it is possible that other groups might be interested in becoming patron to the new second-level school.

An Educate Together primary school opened in the town in 2008 and the multi-denominational body was cleared by Education Minister Ruairí Quinn in May to become a second-level patron.

The department says the Carrigaline school should have capacity for up to 500 students, a lower number than needed to open new schools in some of the other areas named as needing additional second-level provision.

Cork’s other all-Irish second level schools are in Ballingeary and Ballymakeera in the Muskerry Gaeltacht, while all-Irish units are attached to second-level schools in Ballincollig, Clonakilty and Youghal.

The Carrigaline gaelcholáiste is one of three which the Department of Education expects to open in 2014.

It has invited applications from prospective patrons by mid-November.

Another 11 second-level schools, most to be located in Dublin and neighbouring counties, are to be opened in the same year and in 2013, according to the department’s notification to patron bodies this week.

Mr Quinn also announced in June that another second-level school is to be set up by 2017 to cater for rising student numbers in the Carrigtwohill and Midleton areas.