Protest greets education minister's visit to open new school

Education Minister Norma Foley was greeted by a protest group from Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí, Donegal Town when she arrived to open the new St Mary's National School in Stranorlar this afternoon.

However instead of driving past the minister popped out of her car and spent a short time greeting the staff, parents and students who were carrying placards and shouting "Ca bhfuil ar scoil - Where is our school ?"

The all-Irish-speaking school has spent the last 24 years waiting for a permanent building while attempting to cater for its pupils in old prefabs.

It has also been at the receiving end of numerous delays for development work but all stages for their new build had finally been approved and it was hoped preliminary work would start shortly

Sadly it emerged that it was one of 58 schools nationally for which funding had been put on hold. No timeframe has been given and so there are very real fears that the delay will be lengthy given that the original tender expires in a matter of days.

Creeslough curate Fr John Joe Duffy joined their protest for a spell and voiced his concern about the delay in finding a solution for the school building dilemma.

A deputation consisting of the school principal, Colman MacCumhaill, parent-teacher Caitríona Ní Shuilleabháin and board member Jimmy Brogan met the minister at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Letterkenny at 8am this morning. They were part of a group of schools slotted in to meet Ms Foley.

Several member sof the various deputations indicated they would have preferred individual meetings and an opportunity for the minister to visit their school to see firsthand their real problems.

Mr MacCumhaill said they were not happy with this the minister's answers. 

"Nobody had been in contact with the contractor to tell him the plans for the school work had been put on hold. As far as he was concerned he was expecting to start on-site next January or February, he had paid his bond, his insurance and was recruiting new workers for the job but nobody had the decency to give him a call.

"I took that up at the meeting as well and the department people assured me at the end of the meeting that they would get in contact with the contractor."

Creeslough curate Fr John Joe Duffy with protesters from Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí, Donegal Town

Mr MacCumhaill said the campaign would continue and appealed to the minister to get the school project a date.

"The parents and staff have had enough. The school is falling apart" he said.

He added he feared for their future if there was no action from the Department of Education shortly.

"We have 75 pupils at the moment but it's coming to the stage where it's getting harder to get new students. Parents want them to learn through Irish but not in a school like we have at the moment. We are promoting the language and culture in our part of the county but we find the department is pushing us up against a stone wall all the time."