Address by Minister Micheál Martin At the Official Opening of the New School Building at Scoil Naisiúnta Mhuire, Rathpeacon, Co Cork

A Chairde, idir cléir is tuath,

Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh inniu chun bhur scoil nua a oscailt go hoifigiúil.

Bishop Magee, Reverend Clergy, Mayor of Cork County, Members of the Board of Management, teachers, parents and friends of the school, and most important of all, boys and girls, I am delighted to be here this morning in Rathpeacon to officially open your fine new school.

The opening of a new school is a very significant milestone in the life of any community. It is the culmination of a process that has involved much work and effort on the part of many people. It can also be said to be the beginning of an era in the educational life of the area.

There has, of course, been a long history of education in the Rathpeacon area stretching back hundreds of years - in fact, I’m told back as far as the time of the Hedge Schools. Across the road from this fine newbuilding we can see the original site of Monard National School, which dates back to 1878 and was a two-classroom school catering for both boys and girls. Also visible is the forerunner to your new school, which served the local area from 1943 to 2003. I will have the pleasure of launching a history of this school later on, and that should bring back many memories to those who attended at various times over its 60 years existence.

Scoil Naisiúnta Mhuire though, represents both the present and future. It caters for 220 pupils at this time, but this number is certain to increase in the future as this area continues to develop as a residential location. Continued expansion is anticipated, with developments such as the northside Park and Ride facility, and the Blarney Rail link to the city, providing greater commuter access to this area.

As a former Minister for Health I note with some satisfaction that Scoil Naisiúnta Mhuire is a “Health Promoting School”. This means that the pupils are encouraged in a positive manner to have a nutritious diet, engage in sport and generally aspire towards a healthy lifestyle. At a time when much concern is being expressed about high levels of obesity among our younger population, it is most encouraging to see your school promoting a lifestyle that will have huge health benefits for your pupils.

It is also gratifying to note that your school caters for pupils with Special Needs in a caring and compassionate manner. Pupils with special needs are integrated into mainstream learning, due in the main to the excellent efforts of the resource teachers and special needs assistants. This integration has had a very positive effect on all students and is a further example of the positive outlook prevalent in the school.

Indeed it is significant that the school’s emblem is the sunflower. A plant that stands tall and proud and which blooms wherever it is planted. This aptly describes Scoil Naisiunta Mhuire, its staff, and of course its pupils. The school building stands proudly as a focal point where both teachers and pupils have blossomed and bloomed in an environment of learning, allied to healthy living and mutual respect.

This school building is a significant project, costing close to €2M. The Parents’ Association and the Board of Management have and continue to be, very energetic, imaginative and active fundraisers. Through their efforts, in excess of €60,000 has been raised through events as diverse as a sponsored walk of The Kerry Way, to running marathons and monthly contributions. It would be remiss of me not to mention the generous contribution of Fr. Vincent O’Donoghue PP Blarney who donated the site for the construction of the new school.

As a result of the efforts of all involved, this fine building now contains 7 classrooms, a Library/Computer room, a staff room, a resource room, learning support rooms and a General Purpose Hall. I would like to congratulate the builders Murphy Construction (Carrigtwohill) Ltd., especially Kieran and Jerome Murphy, the architect, Mr John M O’Connell, Mr Tony McGrath of James P McGrath & Co, Quantity Surveyors, as well as Denis O’Sullivan & Associates, Consulting Engineers, and Delapp & Waller, Electrical/Mechanical Consultants, for their professionalism and attention to detail which has resulted in this magnificent new school building.

A successful project such as this is the result of the hard work and dedication of many people in the school community. There are too many people involved to thank them all individually, but I can’t leave here today without mentioning some people by name. In this regard I want to acknowledge the vision and efforts of the Board of Management, under the Chairmanship of Mr Frank Maguire. I would like to pay particular tribute to the Principal, Mr John Quirke, for his dedication to this project. I would also like to thank the Vice-Principal, Mr Brendan O’Neill, and the rest of the team at Scoil Mhuire - teachers and support staff alike - for their invaluable service to this community. I think boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, that you should give all of them, and yourselves, a big round of applause.

I will finish by wishing everyone associated with school, particularly the boys and girls, all the best for the future. Guím gach rath ar fhoireann agus ar dhaltaí na scoile faoi láthair agus sna blianta atá romhainn.

Anois, is mór an onóir dom an scoil brea seo a oscailt go hoifigiúil. It is both an honour and a privilege to declare Scoil Naisiúnta Mhuire’s new school building officially open.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.

ENDS

ETE 1562