Sods turned on two major school projects totalling €25m

In the last week, the sods were turned on two major school building projects in the county - for a brand new secondary school in Kingscourt and a major extension at Breifne College Cavan. Minister Heather Humphreys was present at both to perform the honours, as was the Celt's Sean McMahon to record the historic day...

Sometimes dreams do come true and that was the case after 60 years of campaigning in Kingscourt last Friday afternoon, when the sod was, at least, turned on the new €15m Dun an Rí College Campus.
The act was jointly performed by the Minister for Rural Affairs Heather Humphreys and local councillor and CMETB member Clifford Kelly (FF) to officially give the nod to building contractors Ganson.
The site now encompasses approximately 14 acres and the construction work is scheduled to be completed for the start of the college year, in September, 2017.
Principal Fergal Boyle vowed that Dún an Rí would be a school of “choice and excellence” and in years to come future students and parents will say “I’m proud to be a part of Dun an Rí College”.
Having just come from a sod turning ceremony at Breifne College for a €10m extension, Minister Humphreys said it was an “historic” day for the county. “A total of €25 million is being invested in education facilities in the county. This is a good day for rural Ireland and I’m very proud to be here,” she said.
Reflecting on the campaign for a secondary school for the town over the past six decades, Cllr Kelly said: “Sixty years is a long time and I have to say, that for 40 of those years, I have given of myself in no small way to campaigning for a new school in Kingscourt.” He added that the late Arthur McGinley put in a lot of work alongside him in the early years of the campaign.
Cllr Kelly also paid tribute to the CEO of the Cavan Monaghan Education and Training Board Martin O’Brien for delivering on the project. He also thanked the parents, who have decided to put their trust in the CMETB and the principal to enroll their children for forthcoming school year.
Dún an Rí College will be situated at Turners Hill. The school will open in temporary accommodation in September 2016, while the new state-of-the-art facility is being built. It will cater for 500 pupils under the patronage of CMETB.
Seventy students are enrolled for the 2016/2017 academic year.
The new build will be approximately 6,000 sq m and it will comprise of 15 classrooms, four specialist rooms - Music, Multimedia Textiles, Design/Communications/Technical Graphics, Art and Craft room - a Home Economics room, two Construction and Engineering rooms, one Technological preparation area, library, guidance facilities and offices and a dining facility.
The Special Education Needs suite will comprise of central activities base, two base classrooms with associated withdrawal rooms, multi-sensory room, para-educational room, practical activity room and a daily living skills area.
Others who attended the sod-turning ceremony last Friday were Deputies Brendan Smith and Niamh Smyth (FF); the chairperson of the CMETB, Cathy Bennett; Senator Joe O’Reilly; former Ceann Comhairle and Fianna Fáil Minister, Dr Rory O’Hanlon; Brendan Murtagh from Kingspan; the chairman the governing body of the Dundalk Institute of Technology, Andrew Griffith and the Cavan County Manager, Tommy Ryan.

Breifne Project underway

Meanwhile, earlier in the day in Cavan Town, work on the new €10m extension at Breifne College following a ceremony lduring which Minister Humphreys also turned the sod on the development.

She was joined by over 600 students in beautiful sunshine on the occasion and assisted by retired school caretaker Tommy Molloy in turning the sod.
Minister Humphreys said the new campus will give the college a whole new lease of life and will allow it to cater for the growing student population.
“This major new extension marks an exciting new chapter in the story of this college. I would like to commend the work of the chief executive of the CMETB, Martin O’Brien. He is leading the way nationally in terms of investment in education. His energy and commitment to education in Cavan and Monaghan is outstanding. He has a superb 'can-do’ attitude,” the minister on the occasion.
She further acknowledged the work of the Board of Management, the principal John Crotty, the deputy principal Tara Mullan and the teaching staff.
The existing gym will be demolished to facilitate the works on the new complex on this superb raised site.
The extension will be approximately 4800 sq m and will comprise nine classrooms, a design and communications graphics room, two multimedia learning labs, two science labs, and rooms featuring art/craft, a home economics, technology, a 60-seater lecture room, a PE hall, a Special Needs Unit, a group room, a music and drama area, religion room with meditation area and chaplain’s office, together with offices and storage areas.
The lead contractor on the project is PJ McLoughlin from Longford.

Proud history
Breifne College has a history of providing education for the people of Cavan Town since 1932. It was the first vocational school established in the county and, in 1974, the school, then known as Cavan Vocational School, moved from Farnham Street to its present site. The name of the college was changed to Breifne College in August 2006.
Mr O’Brien noted the presence of yours truly, Sean McMahon from The Anglo-Celt, who was one of the first students in the new vocational school when it moved to its new site.
Principal, John Crotty, listed all the principals going back 1974 and they included Ronan Rice, John Slattery, Donal Crotty, Eugene Lynch, Roisin Donoghue and John Kearney.
Those who also delivered addresses at the event were the chairperson of the CMETB, Cathy Bennett; Sean McKiernan, vice chairman of the CMETB and Pauline Tully, chairperson of the Board of Management. Deputies Niamh Smyth (FF) and Senator Joe O’Reilly (FG) were both in attendance.