Education Policy

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, very much for taking this Topical Issue matter this morning. I want to raise a very important issue, which relates to rural education and the preservation of the all-important Irish language in my constituency of Clare. This morning I want to highlight a community initiative led by St. Patrick's National School in the village of O'Callaghan's Mills in east Clare. Like far too many of our fine national schools, St. Patrick's National School has seen a heavy change in local demographics. In recent years the number of children enrolling has plummeted. However, rather than accepting a very slow decline of the school and its enrolment numbers, the relatively newly appointed principal, Gráinne Conlon, along with the board of management and the local community, has refused to let the school fade into the background. Instead, the school has come forward with a visionary and very practical solution, namely, the reopening of the school as a Gaelscoil in September 2027. There is a massive geographical gap in our educational infrastructure as there is no Gaelscoil whatsoever in the entire east Clare region. The Minister of State has visited Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg, a fine school in Ennis led by Dónal Ó hAiniféin. This is a long way out the road for those living in east Clare who would like to have their children educated through the medium of Irish. They have to go much further afield. St. Patrick's National School in O'Callaghan's Mills proposes to fix this. Under its proposal, the school would begin an eight-year transition phase starting in September 2027, when it would welcome a new intake of junior infants who would be in senior infants the following year and then first class the year after that. Within an eight-year period, it would become a scoil lán-Ghaeilge. I have been to visit the school and I have spoken to Gráinne Conlon and her staff. I am fully supportive of their campaign and I know it enjoys widespread political backing from other TDs and colleagues in Clare as well as councillors. It has community and political backing. We are looking for the full backing of the Minister of State as well. As I have said, the campaign enjoys widespread support. A recent local survey of the community confirmed that more than 100 people in the school catchment area are fully in favour of an Irish-medium school in their locality. Furthermore, a crucial step was achieved recently when Bishop Fintan Monahan of the Killaloe diocese formally gave his permission to explore the transition. There is backing from parents, politicians, the parish, the board, language advocates and the bishop. The benefits of this transition are clear. It would revitalise a vital rural community hub. Crucially, a return to a three-classroom model would allow the school to access additional special education and learning support hours that are currently restricted due to the school having very low numbers. In a debate in the Chamber yesterday, the Taoiseach acknowledged to me that using an existing undercapacity school structure to meet a glaring and unfulfilled demand for Irish-medium education makes absolute financial and social sense. It would save the State from building a brand-new school at a time when capital projects are very much to the pin of their collar. It would also protect the future of the rural school, the rural community and the hinterland that surrounds it. The community has done all of the heavy lifting to date. The school has the vision, there is local demand and it has the patron's blessing. What it now needs is a firm and unequivocal commitment from the Department of education. Will the Minister of State confirm that the Department of education will formally sanction, approve and fully resource St. Patrick's National School in O'Callaghan's Mills, County Clare to successfully open its doors as a Gaelscoil in September 2027?

I thank Deputy Crowe for his question. To give some background, the Department of Education and Youth has been engaging with school communities and school patron bodies throughout the country through the primary school survey, which is the largest of its kind. It is examining the vision for the future of primary school education across the system, including, for example, whether schools want to change patronage or have co-education or single-sex education. The Department has been working throughout the primary school sector on one of the biggest surveys of its kind to see what is the future for schools. St. Patrick's National School in O'Callaghan's Mills has completed the online expression of interest as part of the survey. It has indicated its interest in changing from teaching through English to teaching through Irish. The Department is very much looking at schools and school communities, and at the renewed interest in the Irish language throughout school sectors, particularly at primary and post-primary levels. The school has engaged very thoroughly in reaching out to its board and then to its patron and to its community. As the Deputy said in his contribution, it has done much of the heavy lifting. It has gone about examining the possibility of teaching through the medium of Irish in a very earnest and serious way. It has also seen the level of interest from the wider community, as I understand it, and not just from within O'Callaghan's Mills. This is currently being evaluated by the Department. I assure the Deputy that we are taking each and every application extremely seriously. We are also looking at schools such as St. Patrick's National School to see the vision they have outlined in their documents to the Department. Their proactive approach is very much in keeping with what the Department is seeking. We are currently evaluating all the applications received. I assure the Deputy that we will give very serious consideration to the points he has made this morning and has consistently made to me regarding St. Patrick's National School in O'Callaghan's Mills, not only during this discussion on the floor of the Dáil this morning but throughout our other discussions. I compliment the school community, the school leadership and the wider community on their engagement, the way they have presented their papers and their work to ensure they have engaged thoroughly with the Department. I understand that my Department is engaging with the school regularly, but decisions in that regard will be taken in due course.

I sincerely thank the Minister of State for his response. It is encouraging. The Department is very aware of this issue. Indeed, it is in almost daily contact with the principal, Gráinne Conlon. It is important to say a few things about the school itself. Ms Conlon has taught in Irish-medium schools. I think she has taught in three Gaelscoileanna elsewhere in the county. A deputy principal was hired recently, and his appointment was very much geared around the fact that this school could be a Gaelscoil in September 2027. The skill set is on site. The Minister of State's constituency of Cork North-West and my constituency of Clare are very similar in demographics, although the geography might be somewhat different. I have seen, as I am sure the Minister of State has, far too many of these schools go into decline. While St. Patrick's National School is some way off having to close, and I do not think anyone is saying that is on the cards, Ms Conlon and the board of management are very much realists. They are saying they will not let the school decline any further. There is an unmet demand for a Gaelscoil in the whole area of east Clare. A huge swathe of the county, more than half of it, has no Gaelscoil, and this school is ready to meet that demand. Time is of the essence. I accept and appreciate that there has been a huge level of engagement and back-and-forth contact with the Department. That is acknowledged. If this school is to open as a Gaelscoil in September 2027, it realistically needs to know this side of Christmas. It must do everything from ordering books and updating school plans to holding open nights. Crucially, parents in the catchment area, and we are not just talking about the village itself but an area extending perhaps 10 or 12 miles beyond it, need to be able to make informed decisions. As I said, the proposal, of course, has the backing of the principal and deputy principal. The board, the parents, the community, the bishop, the patron and the politicians are also on board. There is overwhelming demand for this Gaelscoil. I hope we will get good news in the coming weeks. I do not think we can wait until the spring for an answer. Will the Department appoint a dedicated liaison officer? Several people are dealing with the principal, but she needs one constant point of contact until, hopefully, the proposal is approved. Does the Minister of State have any definitive timelines?

As the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach will agree, our constituencies are alike. That is why I spent so many happy times in Clare during August. Returning to the points raised, we have engaged very thoroughly. There is a dedicated and effective team within the Department of education looking at the applications from schools that want to change from English-medium to Irish-medium education. In the programme for Government and the policy announced in November 2025, we committed to ensuring that we have Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí across the country. We have seen a tremendous uptake and interest in learning through Irish, and we have to compliment that interest across the country. The team within the Department is very thorough. I have engaged closely with it on this and other issues, and it is working closely with the schools concerned. I know it has been engaging with school communities to provide definitive information to schools that would be opening in September 2027. I do not want to give the Deputy a definitive timeline on the floor of the Dáil this morning. I take what the Deputy has said earnestly and seriously, and I will relay it to the Department. I have no doubt that the relevant section in the Department is working closely with St. Patrick's National School in O'Callaghan's Mills. It is important as well that there is an early lead-in time. The school has put up its hand. It has shown that it has public representatives, the patron, the school community and the wider community on board. Those are hugely important building blocks for moving forward. I will take back what the Deputy has said. Expanding Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí across the country is an important part of the programme for Government and the policy in the Department. We will continue to liaise with the school in O'Callaghan's Mills.