St Eunan’s College demands meeting with Minister amid 'infrastructural crisis'

The Board of Management of  St Eunan’s College has demanded an “urgent meeting with the Minister for Education, the Planning and Building Unit, and senior political representatives” following its omission from the government’s investment plans to modernise schools.

Following the July 2025 National Development Plan (NDP) Review, the Irish government committed €102.4 billion for the 2026–2030 period. The rollout for 2026 and 2027 focuses on transitioning large-scale projects from planning into construction across several key sectors.

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A €1.6 billion investment tranche in the education sector is “to progress 105 school building projects to tender or construction during 2026 and 2027. These projects aim to deliver 27,000 additional and modernised school places, with a strong focus on Special Education Needs.

However, St Eunan’s College was again unsuccessful in the country-wide announcement, leaving only one school successful in Donegal: St Columba’s in Stranorlar.

Their statement read: “The Board of Management of Saint Eunan’s College, representing our patron, parents, staff, students, and the wider Letterkenny community, writes to express its profound outrage. Following an emergency meeting convened to address our exclusion from the Department of Education’s 2026 priority list, the Board has concluded that this decision is not merely a disappointment; it is a fundamental breach of the trust placed in the state by the people of the North West.

“Our school has not seen a significant building project since the 1970s. For nearly fifty years, we have maintained a standard of excellence in facilities that were never designed for the modern era. For thirty years, through the tenures of three successive Presidents/Principals - Fr Michael Carney, Mr Chris Darby, and Mr Damien McCroary - we have campaigned with patience, dignity, and total compliance.

“In 2019, Saint Eunan’s was included in the ADAPT 2 programme, specifically designed as a “fast-track” mechanism for urgent school builds. Seven years into this designation, and thirty years into our campaign, we remain without a start date.

“Our concern is not with the inclusion of other schools on the priority list, but rather the lack of a clear, evidence-based explanation for our own omission. The Board is seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister for Education, the Planning and Building Unit, and senior political representatives to move past generalities and establish a concrete roadmap for our project.

“We are currently overseeing a critical infrastructural crisis. The safety of our 1,000 students is a non-negotiable priority, and the current state of our facilities represents a failure of the state to meet its most basic duty of care.

“We are at a point where the physical limitations of our campus are beginning to diverge dangerously from the high standards of safety and modern education we are mandated to provide. Finding a resolution is no longer a matter of preference; it is a matter of basic health and safety requirements.

“The Board is immensely grateful for the solidarity shown by our wider community over the past week. The support from our local feeder schools, GAA clubs, businesses, and public representatives reinforces the fact that this is a collective regional priority.

“While our disappointment and frustration are significant, our focus remains on finding a professional and immediate way forward. To this end, the Board is overseeing the development of a strategic plan to engage all necessary national and local channels. We have also launched a community petition to formalise the widespread support for our new build.

“The students and staff of Saint Eunan’s College deserve a future that is safe and secure. We are calling on the Department of Education to replace silence with communication and delays with a definitive plan.

“We have had decades of promises; we are now seeking a partnership that delivers a school building reflective of the excellence of our young men and the dedication of our staff. We remain committed to working with all parties to resolve this crisis and ensure the long-term future of education in Letterkenny.”