A special day at St Clare’s

As the sun beamed down in Ballyjamesduff last Friday, over 400 students of St Clare’s Primary School, their parents, teachers and guests witnessed the grand opening of the school's new €3M extension.

Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, and Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Josepha Madigan, were both in attendance to officially opened the premises, cutting the ribbon at the doorway and unveiling a plaque on the wall to commemorate the special occasion.

Welcoming guests to the opening, principal Karl Mc Cartin said: “Today in St Clare's National School we open the combination of seven years' work - work that commenced in 2016 and was completed this year.

“The €3 million investment transformed our school campus to a state-of-the-art building and one we are extremely proud of.”

The principal thanked Department of Education officials, the design team, contractors, parents and many others who contributed to the the delivery of the extension in any way.

“Twenty years ago, in 2003, St Clare’s National School had a student population of 125 children and five staff. Fast forward to 2023, we have 440 fabulous children and 45 staff,” he revealed.

“Not alone have we seen our pupil numbers increase by 75%, our school profile and dynamic has also changed, with 40% of our students coming from non English speaking backgrounds, 40% of our pupils relocating from the greater Dublin area and 20% of our pupils indigenous to Ballyjamesduff.”

Chairperson of the board of management, Fr Kevin Donohoe, also addressed the crowd, stating: “Any time I come here to St Clare’s National School, there is always active learning going on, whether it’s in the classroom through the smiling faces and raised hands of its pupils, in the corridors putting up posters, banners or collages repeating the school's ethos of inclusivity and diversity, or in the hall rehearsing for a musical, a concert or some other presentation.

“All of this is achieved through the encouragement and the support of our current teachers, whose love of their vocation is evident by the way in which they interact with all their pupils.”

Tánaiste Micheál Martin then took centre stage, congratulating the school and its teachers on their tremendous achievement.

“We’re both delighted to be here on behalf of the government for the opening of your wonderful new extension to your beautiful school,” he says, referencing the presence of his Dáil colleague Minister Madigan.

“I want to thank you boys and girls for your attention on what is a very very hot day. I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to your principal, Karl, for his energy, his enthusiasm and for doing so much to grow and to lead the team in this school.”

Offering some words of wisdom, Tánaiste Martin told the pupils: "One thing you should try and learn throughout life is to believe in yourself a bit more, be self confident, have self respect, self esteem and you will go a long way in life.”

Minister of State, Josepha Madigan, was the final speaker on the day. She remarked: “It’s just so wonderful to see a school like this that actually has two special classes. There are so many schools around the country that don’t have two special classes.

“In the entirety of Cavan, we have 59 in total - 39 in primary and 13 in post primary, and two of them are here, so congratulations to all of you for embracing that inclusivity.”

The €3m project at St Clare’s National School includes a sensory room and garden, ASD and SET classrooms, a library and two playgrounds.