Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 5 Feb 1986

Vol. 111 No. 3

Adjournment Matter. - Meath National School.

Mr. Lynch

I should like once again to thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I thank the Minister for his presence here tonight.

I should like to ask the Minister if he will give his urgent and immediate attention to the provision of a new school at Moylagh, which is situated outside Oldcastle, to replace the existing school at Gortloney. The school in Gortloney was built in January 1880 and was renovated in 1932. At that time, in that particular part of the parish, which is part of the parish of Oldcastle, we had a school also in a place called Baltrasna. The Baltrasna school was closed and amalgamated with Gortloney school in 1975 and to cater for the extra pupils there a prefab was provided. There are four toilets in the school in Gortloney to cater for 107 pupils and staff.

I am happy to report that in the past few years the school-going population has increased and an extra teacher has been appointed by the Department of Education. We are all concerned about the decline in population in rural areas. Here we have the case where the school-going population is on the increase. We are happy to see this popular trend over recent years — which is not so popular in many ways — being reversed. The problem is that there is no place in the school to demonstrate charts, videos, and so on. There is no room for creative activities which are very necessary and important in the educational system of today. The modern teaching methods that are vital in our community cannot be projected or protrayed in a cramped space. The present conditions for the staff and the pupils are inadequate. Pupils are crammed into the school like sardines in a tin. This is not an over-statement. The heating system is antiquated and well below the required standard as specified by the Department of Education. We have had one very hard winter and by the looks of it to night we could be facing another one. When teachers have to wear their overcoats in schools it is time we had a hard look at ourselves. We should decide to take immediate action to remedy that situation. The teachers and the pupils do not have a place to hang their coats. The playground, as it is, is most unsuitable for that number of pupils. It is a small garden of an old school. There is no shelter. I do not see any sense in either the Department or the local community putting up money to provide a shelter for a school which, we must all agree, has to be replaced as quickly as possible.

Further to that this school is situated on the main Oldcastle/Collinstown road. It is very close to the road. When the school was built we had only horses and carts and asses and carts bringing turf from the bog. The school environment at that time was not affected by noise. But at the moment, with traffic from sandpits in the area, from the Iralco factory in Collinstown and from local contractors, it is impossible to teach pupils in that school because of its close proximity to the main road. In addition, there is no footpath. The sides of the road have been churned up by traffic pulling in. There is a danger to pupils. Meath County Council have no finances at the moment to provide proper repairs to the road to alleviate the situation. It is a very dangerous narrow stretch of road where there is fast and heavy traffic. The Minister should have a report from the Department of Education on that aspect.

Fortunately, the school manager, Father Garvan, has provided a site at Moylagh. It is an ideal site. It is off the main road and is within the parish environment. Plans have been approved by the Minister's Department, planning permission has been obtained from Meath County Council and tenders are with the Department since 23 September last, I understand. What is the present position? Has a tender been accepted? When will work commence to provide the school? The present school in Moylagh is only 18 feet from the main road. It is very important that a proper school be provided to cater for the needs of the population of this great historic and cultural area of Moylagh, which is the birthplace of St. Oliver Plunkett, as well as myself. It is situated in close proximity to Moylagh Church where many great scholars lie, most notably James Martin, the poet. His inscription reads:

Here lies the remains of James Martin: poet, author, scholar, and patriot.

He was one of the most famous poets in that area. The remains of the mother of the famous Bishop Nulty — a headstone was erected in his memory by the late Father George Leonard in 1878 — also lie there.

This particular area, I am proud to say, promotes culture. They teach Irish music and Irish dancing. They endeavour, as far as it is possible, to implant in the minds of their pupils the importance of the preservation of the family way of life, the importance of the Irish family, and they have succeeded admirably in doing so. If we are to adhere to these principles and to ensure that the people have the right stimulus to propagate that aspect of Irish life across the country, it is imperative that we should provide proper facilities. As always, I am sure the Minister's reply will be most satisfactory. Thank you for listening to my plea.

An Cathaoirleach

Before I call on the Minister to reply, I was thinking that the Senator should have asked him to move down to Carysfort.

Mr. Lynch

There are a few other problems in my area.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. Creed)

Without going into the background or the history of Moylagh I want to say that the position is that the present permanent national school building at Gortloney comprises three permanent classrooms, to which was added in 1973 one further prefabricated classroom. In 1980 the chairman of the school's board of management raised with my Department the question of grant aid and a further remodelling of the existing school or the provision of a new school building. The chairman subsequently amended his application to a request for the provision of a new school on a site in Moylagh which he offered to make available. This site was subsequently inspected at my Department's request by the Commissioners of Public Works and their officers advised that the site was suitable for the erection of a new three classroom school, with provision for a fourth classroom if required in the future. The title to the site was adjudged by the Chief State Solicitor's Office to be satisfactory following an investigation completed by that office on 15 April 1983.

My Department had, meanwhile, advised the chairman of its agreement in principle to the erection of a new four classroom school and asked the Commissioners of Public Works, as its advisers on architectural matters, to have the preparation of a scheme put in hand. On 12 January 1984 the commissioners sent a copy of the plan to the chairman with a view to his securing local authority planning permission. Agreement was reached in July 1984 with the chairman as to an appropriate local contribution towards the cost of the project and a grant was formally sanctioned in the same month.

The present position is that tenders for the project have been invited by the Commissioners of Public Works and their examination has just been completed. The question of releasing the project to contract is currently under consideration in the light of the enrolment trends at the school and the capital available to my Department following recent budget adjustments. It will be recalled that the Commissioners of Public Works had advised that the site offered for the new school was suitable for the erection of a new three classroom school, with provision for a fourth classroom if required, and that the chairman had been advised of my Department's agreement in principle to a four classroom school. At the relevant time the staff of the school consisted of three teachers — the principal and two assistant teachers — and the design of the school is such that one classroom may be omitted should the enrolments not warrant the amount of accommodation provided for in the plans. The primary school building branch of my Department is currently engaged in a review of the enrolment trends at the school. The school continued up to recently to have a staff of three teachers, which would not have warranted all of the accomodation proposed. I understand, however, that enrolments at the school have just reached the level at which it qualifies for a fourth teacher and, if the indications are that this level of enrolment is likely to be maintained, or indeed to increase, my Department would be prepared to allow the projected new school to proceed to construction on that basis.

From what I have said it will be apparent to the Senator that my Department have accepted the need for the replacement of the existing school at Gortloney and will convey to the school authorities as soon as possible a decision on the question of their project proceeding to contract on a suitable date either in its present or in a modified form.

The Seanad adjourned at 8.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 6 February 1986.