More than 100 students from five Gaelscoileanna across the Southside gathered outside Leinster House last week to demand clarity from the Minister for Education on the future of Gaelcholáiste Synge.
Pupils travelled from schools in the Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 areas to stage the demonstration on Wednesday, February 4, calling on Minister Hildegarde Naughton to deliver, without further delay, on a commitment made last July by former minister Helen McEntee to provide parents and students with a clear timeline and images outlining the physical development of the new Irish-medium secondary school.
The protest centred on concerns that, despite staffing progress, there is still no master plan or schedule for how the Gaelcholáiste building will be developed.
Cristín Ní Chairealláin, principal of Gaelscoil Eoin, said the school community had welcomed some recent steps forward but warned that the lack of detail about the building itself was undermining confidence among families.
“While we are very pleased with the appointment of a Deputy Principal and the progress in developing the Gaelcholáiste Synge staff, we are very concerned that the Department of Education is putting the Gaelcholáiste at risk because there is still no master plan, timeline and virtual images for the physical development of the Gaelcholáiste building,” she said.
She added that parents had repeatedly sought clarity about how the project would be delivered in stages.
ictured (l-r) were pupils Penny Ryan (age 9), Chloe Corcoran (age 8), Roisin Golden (age 9), Niall O’Halloran (age 9) and Robbie Moran (age 9) from Scoil Bhríde, Ranelagh. Picture credit: Conor McCabe Photography
“We understand that there will be phases to the development of the building but no information or timeline has been provided on those phases. How can we encourage parents’ confidence in this new Gaelcholáiste if it is not clear how the Gaelcholáiste, which their children may attend, will be developed.”
Ní Chairealláin also pointed to practical concerns about how the new school will operate alongside CBS Synge Street on the same campus.
“Don’t forget that the development of this Gaelcholáiste is part of a transition between CBS Synge Street and Gaelcholáiste Synge on the same site.
“Our parents and students have many questions and concerns about how this will work when the two cohorts of students are to be kept separate from each other to ensure fairness for all students and to ensure that full immersion education is available to the Gaelcholáiste students.”
Parents involved in the campaign say expectations had been raised when the Department announced that a project manager had been appointed, but they now fear the scope of that role is limited.
Louisa Ní Éideáin, a parent with a child at Bunscoil Synge, said many families initially felt reassured.
“Many parents were delighted and relieved when the Department of Education informed our campaign to establish a Gaelcholáiste in our area that the Department of Education had appointed a Project Manager to work on the development of the Gaelcholáiste.
“We thought that the promise made by the former Minister for Education would be fulfilled and that a timeline would be put in place to develop the school.”
However, she said that optimism quickly turned to frustration.
“However, parents were both disappointed and angry when we discovered that the Project Manager has only been appointed to undertake small-scale work to facilitate the Gaelcholáiste starting in September 2026.
“From what we understand, the Department of Education is not currently putting together a master plan or timeline for the development of the Gaelcholáiste building.”
Pictured are pupils Isabelle Patel (age 9) and Evelyn Mcaguckian (age 9) from Scoil Bhríde, Ranelagh. Picture credit: Conor McCabe
Campaigners say the project has been presented by the Department as a flagship model for the growth of Irish-medium education, but argue that the level of commitment does not match that ambition.
Ní Éideáin said the Gaelcholáiste had been “cited by the Department of Education as a new model for the future growth of Irish-medium education” and frequently referenced in reports and statements over the past year.
“But the truth seems to be that the Department of Education is not being fair to our children, and to children from other schools who might attend the Gaelcholáiste, by avoiding committing to a redevelopment of the building,” she said.
She also highlighted what parents see as uneven investment compared with other education projects, adding, “One only has to look at the major investment that the Department of Education made in the Educate Together building at Harcourt Terrace to see the differentiation that the Department of Education is making.”
As enrolment decisions approach, families say certainty is essential.
The group is now urging the Minister to act quickly to restore confidence among parents and prospective students.
“We are calling on the Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton to deliver on what was promised to us and to help us inspire confidence in parents and students to enrol in Gaelcholáiste Synge,” Ní Éideáin said.
“To this end, it is necessary for the Department of Education to urgently provide parents with a master plan, timeline and virtual images of the development of the Gaelcholáiste Synge building.”