School’s dedication pays off in the end

STUDENTS and staff at Gaelscoil an Chuilinn, Tyrrelstown, were thrilled to move into their brand new school building earlier this month after years spent between prefabs and sharing overcrowded buildings.

The school’s secretary, Emma Uí Chonaill, says staff, parents and students have been extremely supportive and patient through all the ups and downs, from the school’s inception to their move into the new, state-of-the-art facilities this month.

“There was a real sense of pride about the place – it was great,” said Emma, who has been involved with the school since its very beginning in 2012, when it opened its temporary doors to just 12 students.

After years of parents’ hard work and campaigning for a second gaelscoil in the area, the school has grown quickly – now teaching 170 pupils from Naí Bheaga to Rang a Ceathair. 

“There was one gaelscoil in the Dublin 15 area” she told Northside People. “But they were only ever in a position to take in one class every year. And there was a huge demand for education in the Dublin 15 area through Irish. A group of parents in Tyrrelstown formed a founding committee and spread out to Dublin 15 over the course of a year to begin to petition the department of education. 

“When the department looked at the numbers they said there was definitely a need for more primary schools in the area.

“After four years of hard work and regular meetings, the department finally agreed that one of the schools that they would open would be a gaelscoil.”

Five years later, the school celebrated a move to their permanent building by releasing balloons and with some dancing by students- but for many students, there wasn’t much time before they had to go straight back to rehearsals.

That’s because third and fourth classes were due to represent the school the next day in Mullingar in the all-Ireland national drama finals, the third year the school has made it this far. 

“Drama is a really important part of the school and of our ethos” said Emma – who added that the parents’ association, Cáirde, raised €30,000 over two years to kit out the new building with a new stage, lighting and seating for drama.

Emma says this dedication is part of what makes the school special, and says the board of management are extremely grateful to Cáirde and to all the parents.

“There really is a very special atmosphere in gaelscoils,” she adds. “I think a lot of people want this sort of thing but they don’t know how to go about applying for it or asking for it. I think it’s not necessarily a case of more people wanting it now, but more that they saw someone started the process.

“There is an Aonad, which is like a unit for a secondary that is going to open in 2018 – that’s how strong the demand is.”

The Aonad, part of a local community college and also the result of parental petitioning, will hopefully in future grow into its own space, eventually providing a place for Gaelscoil an Chuilinn’s graduates to continue on to secondary education through Irish without leaving the area.

REPORT: Ciara del Grosso Bates