[:gb]The pupil’s parents and staff of Gaelscoil Éanna received a massive double boost this week with the news that the Department of Education had formally transferred the required funds, £500,000 to the Trust for Irish Medium Education, Iontaobhas Na Gaelscolaíochta.
This development complimented the news earlier in the week that full planning permission had been granted by the Planning Service.
This means that the project will be formally advertised inviting applications for tender, with the original targeted timescale of having the brand new build open for September 2011, fully on track.
This welcome news means that all of the pupils will be able to avail of a brand new and modern school appropriate to their needs, this coming September. The governors and parents of the school have worked tirelessly to secure these crucial funds which are critical to sustaining the rapid development of the entire school project. They have worked hand in hand, with the strategic advisors of our community partners St Enda’s GAC, as we could not have attempted the new school build had the club not been so generous with the land formally used as their training pitch. With the development of the two additional pitches, the club agreed without a second thought on our enquiry to lease us the training pitch and as such we were in a position to lobby the Department of Education and also Iontaobhas Na Gaelscolaíochta to provide the funds to build a new school. The pupils, parents and staff of the school are very much indebted and grateful to the Minister, Caitriona Ruane for her commitment to Irish medium education for securing these funds in difficult economic times, to Iontaobhas for their valuable technical support advice and assistance, and also to the members and committee of St Enda’s GAC for again, providing us with the most crucial commodity of all, land, to allow Gaelscoil Éanna to grow and develop to our full potential.
Points of Interest
- Naíscoil Éanna was founded in 2003 and opened its doors for the first ever time in September 2004, with an initial first class of seven students.
- By the time MEP Bairbre de Brún arrived to open the school officially and partake in our ‘Graduation Ceremony’ in July 2004, the numbers had more than doubled to 15!
- Our paistí have had the welcome company of All Ireland winning captains Sean Óg Ó’hAilpín and Peter Canavan, as well as Uachtarán na hÉireann Mary McAleese and most recently in December 2010, the King of Tory, Patsaí Dan Mac Ruaidhr
- March 2006: Glór Na nGael awards for first prize in Level 1 in a non Gaeltacht region and also an individual special prize of Best Newcomer on behalf of Naíscoil Éanna, received from the Minister for Community Rural and Gaeltacht affairs in the South, Eamon O’Cuiv.
- September 2007: Gaelscoil Éanna opened. Formal ceremony conducted by Minister for Education Caitriona Ruane May 2008.
- September 2010: Four full time teachers, for P1 to P4. Minibus collection service facilitated with purchase of brand new mini bus.
- September 2011: Brand new school building to open, with enrolment of 76 children. Naíscoil Éanna operating at full capacity of 34, therefore 110 children to be educated through medium of Irish from preschool age to P5, in brand new facilities.
[:ie]Irish text to go here…