Labour TD Marie Sherlock has said the government are failing Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire.
The Dublin 1 school was set to have a new school building open in June 2025, but the project fell victim to the most Irish of curses – a mystery delay.
Speaking in the Dáil, the Dublin Central TD was seeking a reason for the delay.
Sherlock relayed that the contract was terminated with “no clarity,” and the school was left in the dark as to why the contract was terminated.
She asserted that the Department of Education has left the Dominick Street school in the lurch.
“We are four months on from the termination of that contract with no clarity on why the contract was terminated; when will the Department go out to tender, or indeed if it can get a contractor to pick up where the last contractor left off?” she asked.
The Labour TD stated “the school community of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire are being strung along by the Department of Education with no answers on when their new school building will be completed.”
As a result of the delay, the school community will have to move from one temporary building to another.
“They’ve already spent over 20 years in a temporary building that was not fit for purpose,” she said.
“The Department brought in a project manager last year to great fanfare. We were told that they would sort out all the issues, including the design and delays. We are now 16 months on, and we have an empty building site and no clarity on why the contract was cancelled.
“If the cancellation was cost-related, as I understand it, the cost stood somewhere between €21 million and €25 million. If we go back out to tender again, the Department will have little change from €30 million for this school building.
The Dublin Central TD dubbed the Department of Education “incompetent,” noting that the school is a five-minute walk from the Department itself, located on Malbrough Street, yet it is being “failed” by the Department.
“Solemn promises were made in November 2023 that this long-awaited new school building would be built. The parents, staff, and most crucially the pupils of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire deserve answers from the Department.”
“Works must recommence on this site with urgency to deliver this new school building on the site on Dominick Street. The school community deserves better.”
Fianna Fáil’s Junior Minister, Michael Moynihan, defended the government’s sluggishness on the issue.
Moynihan, Minister of State at the Department of Education, said that Minister McEntee and the Department of Education and Youth are “fully committed” to delivering a new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as “quickly as possible.”
Minister Moniyhan said, “Department officials are in constant contact with the school authorities, meeting every number of weeks, and more frequently when required.”
He explained that a number of issues arose on the site, adding that is was “not unusual given the nature of a brownfield city centre site.”
“While all parties actively engaged to discuss and resolve the issues and to reduce any risk to the programme, these unforeseen matters did lead to a delay.”
The Fianna Fáil TD said that progress was initially made following the project manager’s intervention in the summer of 2024 up to year-end with significant visible progress being made on the structure, but conceded that since Christmas 2024, issues on the project have “intensified.”
He said the Department engaged with the contractor and the design team, and following a series of meetings in early 2025, the decision was made to suspend the works on May 23 of this year.
Per Moynihan, the Department “carefully considered the best way to deliver a school building while also respecting its statutory obligations.”
“A notice of termination was issued under the contract on July 1, following careful consideration of the need to ensure compliance with those statutory obligations. Department officials will continue to work extremely closely with the school principal and board of management.”
As a result of the suspension of works, temporary school accommodation is being provided at the nearby school on Cathal Bruga Street.
He concluded by saying, “it is anticipated the works will be completed next month, following which the school will move into the new premises. Finally, let me assure the Deputy that the Minister and the Department are fully committed to delivering a school building for this school as soon as possible.”
Sherlock asserted that “a lot of it (Moynihan’s response) is a copy-and-paste job of what was circulated in June of this year. To be very clear, there is no update in this response from the Department, that is zero update as to what is happening with the new school building.”
“There is no plan B apparent in the Minister of State’s response here. For a school to have been told repeatedly that all efforts were going to be made by the Department to get this new school building built, I see no detail in the response, other than bland general assurances that the Department is doing all it can. That is not good enough.”
Moynihan responded by saying, “I accept the frustration in relation to this project, which has been ongoing and which is hugely important for the community.”
“I reassure the Deputy that the Department is engaged to find an interim solution first, but the long-term solution to make sure this project is completed.”
He said that the Department and school authorities will work together to “try to make sure a resolution is found and the building can commence as soon as possible; there is huge work.”
“All Departments take their responsibility very seriously. Issues arose, and the commitment I will give the Deputy is that we will ensure that the engagement will continue between the school authorities and the Department to try to find a resolution as quickly as possible.”