This article is from page 22 of the 2005-10-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
AFTER decades of talk, graft and no little work the three secondary schools of Ennistymon are finally to unite and form the Ennistymon Community School.
In a historic development for edu- cation in North Clare, plans for the school along with 22 other schools nationwide, were announced by the Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin last Thursday.
The school will be located on a site obtained from the Sisters of Mercy and will have the most up-to-date facilities for science, languages, art, woodwork and construction studies, home economics, IT and engineer- ing. It is envisioned that the school
will cater for some 650 students and will boast a full-sized sports hall.
The final stumbling block in the way of the proposal was overcome last week as a final price for the site was decided upon by the Depart- ment of Education and the Sisters of Mercy. An independent valuator was brought in following a disagreement over the price of the site which is be- ing handed over to the department as part of the Redress Board settle- ments. The announcement has been widely welcomed by the principals of each school who have expressed their hope that the high level of co- operation between the schools will continue until the new Community School is in place.
Hopes are high that the school will
be among the first bundle of schools approved for funding, which could see tenders for contractors being made as early as mid-2006. Alter- natively, it could be as late as 2009 before progress can be made.
While the announcement heralds the beginning of a new and exciting time for education in North Clare it also marks the end of three rich and proud traditions.
“The Christian Brothers have made an enormous contribution to the youth of North Clare through the values expressed by Edmund Rice and these values will live on in the new school,” said Michael Concan- non, Principal of the CBS.
“The young people of the area de- serve first class facilities.”
The site of the Vocational School has been earmarked for the creation of an Adult and Community Centre for North Clare.
It is expected that much of the staff currently employed in the school could be absorbed into this facility.
“Often with things like this peo- ple walk out the door and the place is locked up. Then three years later, when all the windows are broken, someone gets the idea to do it up,” said Enda Byrt, Principal of the Vo- cational School. “When we walk out of here we want someone to be walking back in that same day.”
Of curse with any amalgamation like this the co-operation of all con- oer e mE
“A steering committee of repre- sentatives of management, staff, par- ents and students of all three schools will oversee the change to the new community school and insure that a smooth transaction will take place,” said Seosaimhin Ui Dhomhnallain, Principal of Scoil Mhuire.
In total €555 million was allocat- ed for projects by the Minister for Education and Science last week.
Aside from the 23 post-primary schools, four new primary schools have been announced as-well-as a number of third level projects.
Ennistymon County Councillor and former CBS student Martin Conway (FG) has welcome what he described as a ‘long overdue development’. “The people of En- nistymon and the surrounding area deserve the very best of facilities,” said Cllr Conway. “The three school have done great work over the year with an archaic infrastructure and I appeal to the Department and the Minister to deliver in 2006 rather than in the later bundles.”