New €630,000 extension opened in Drumkilly NS

A major new €360,000 extension to Drumkilly National School was officially opened by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, at a ceremony on Friday last. The extension, which consists of two mainstream classroom and two resource rooms, as well as wheelchair accessible toilets, was facilitated through a grant from the Department of Education and Skills. Minister Smith said that the development of the new extension was an important milestone in the life of Drumkilly. He also noted that the school could look forward to an upgrading of its electrical system during the summer through the provision of a further grant of €22,763 under the Summer Works Scheme. Referring to the uplifting learning environment, he congratulated the pupils on attaining a second green flag and said that he was looking forward to viewing a short film about the history of the school that they had produced themselves. Minister Smith acknowledged the presence of former principal, David Murphy, and his contribution over many years to the school. He also congratulated current principal, Ena Corr and her staff for the very positive Whole School Evaluation (WSE) report the school had received from the Department of Education and Skills' inspectors. Fine work Noting the very fine work undertaken by Brendan Sammon, builders and architects, Ronan Healy and Damien Nolan; the minister also thanked Michael Cronin and the Board of Management for their ongoing commitment towards the development of the school. "The pupils of Drumkilly are very fortunate in having a rich, uplifting learning environment both inside and outside their classrooms. Inside the comfortable classrooms, there are excellent facilities, plenty of colourful posters, maps, charts, and impressive displays of the pupils' work. Outside, thanks to the efforts of your caretaker, Paddy Boylan and the Green Flag committee, the grounds are in pristine condition," he said. He was very pleased that in the 2006 Census, the highest population growth in any county in Ulster was recorded in Cavan. It was heartening to know that the young population continued to grow and he wanted to assure everyone of the government's commitment to the refurbishment and upgrading of rural schools. Despite the serious economic difficulties that we are experiencing, the government is undertaking the largest ever school building programme with County Cavan being a major beneficiary, concluded Minister Smith.