Swine flu closes Gaeltacht school

Almost 300 students have been sent home from an Irish language college in Donegal because of an outbreak of swine flu.

Eleven teenagers at Coláiste Mhuire in Loch an Iúir in the west of the county have tested positive for the virus.

Six students were initially sent home after they became ill on Thursday and a further five cases were confirmed yesterday.

Headmaster at Coláiste Mhuire, Donal O'Neill, said the school will re-open next week,

“Our latest information is that we are available to re-open next Saturday and we intend to do that.

“Now public health could come to us in the interim and tell us that that's not an option but at the minute we're operating that we will be opening again next Saturday.”

Dr Tony Delap, who was attending to the students, said they were suffering from a mild strain of the virus.