‘People are learning in absolutely unacceptable conditions’ at St Eunan’s College

Upgrading school facilities at St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny has been called for with urgency. 

The issue was brought to the Dáil topical issues by a Sinn Féin TD, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, after going on a full tour of the school. 

Deputy Mac Lochlainn called for the Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, to accept an invitation from the Student Council and visit the school to see the “unacceptable condition” of the old buildings. 

Built in 1906, St Eunan’s College is an all-boys Catholic Secondary School. The school initially hosted 30 students but now has a student population exceeding 1,000. 

“I was really shocked at the current condition of the college,” Deputy Mac Lochlainn said. “There are impossible conditions for both students and teachers to work in. There is the original building from 1909 and there were additions in 1979. You can clearly see the dilapidated conditions of the buildings throughout.

“There is no disability access in the entire college. There are lifts, but they are not used, which means that students with a disability are not going to the college.

“For me, I find it so frustrating how long it takes to deliver public building projects in this country. I have visited the college a number of times over the years. It is desperately slow to deliver the amenities. 

“This is a fantastic school. I do not know how it delivers the standard of education it does in the facilities it has. 

“For example, there are eight toilet cubicles for a population of 1,000 students. If you go through the old buildings, they are in appalling conditions and there is black mould, windows are broken and boarded up, walls are damp and soaking wet as you run your hands down them and there are totally inadequate amenities for young people to congregate during lunch breaks. It is absolutely appalling. 

“People are learning in absolutely unacceptable conditions.”

Deputy Mac Lochlainn went on to express frustration at the Minister for Education's absence at the topical issue discussion. 

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The Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Deputy Frankie Feighan, stood in to answer the questions. 

Deputy Feighan outlined that the project is included in the Department of Education and Youth’s construction programme, which will be delivered as part of the Project Ireland 2040 framework.

“This school building project will deliver a new extension and refurbishment of some existing accommodation to provide accommodation for 1,000 pupils and additional classrooms for children with special educational needs,” Deputy Feighan said. 

Deputy Mac Lochlainn requested that Deputy Naughton come to Donegal and go on a tour of the facilities at St Eunan’s College, as her predecessors did. 

“I appeal to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to come to Donegal as soon as possible to do a full tour of St. Eunan’s College because it is utterly unacceptable,” he continued. “Those young people toured me around the school and we met with the principal. I could see the respect. While a number of teachers were present, it was the young people themselves who led the way. 

“They are the leaders of the future, but they deserve better. They are calling on public representatives and the Government to make sure that no student goes through this type of situation in the future.”

Deputy Feighan confirmed that he will highlight these concerns and ask Deputy Naughton to visit St Eunan’s College.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme