Schools Administration
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-04
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Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. Gaelcholáiste Synge will be the vitally important Gaelscoil for the Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 area that has long been awaited by the local community. It is due to open at the end of August this year. The establishment of this school is the result of a very long and committed campaign by activists in Dublin city to ensure the students in this part of the city have access to Irish-language education. Despite the school having been established on paper, there has been no clarity and no timeline on when it will actually come into being.
There are real concerns around it. It does not have the staff it needs nor the buildings to accommodate the projected number of students, not to mention the deeply flawed way in which the Department failed to engage with students, family and staff of the CBS Synge Street when the Gaelcholáiste was first established. The Department of education has essentially been radio silent on the future of this school and has avoided meeting local campaign groups or making clear commitments around the future redevelopment of this site. The south inner city is crying out for a Gaelcholáiste, but the Government's approach and lack of planning are making a shambles of the opportunity.
One way in which the Department can take a positive step forward is by acquiring the Christian Brothers' monastery, which is adjacent to the Synge Street site and is currently being sold off. The Gaelcholáiste could use this very effectively. This building was formerly used by Synge Street CBS and has many practical rooms, classrooms and a full-sized canteen. Its acquisition would be a great benefit to Gaelcholáiste Synge. The building the Gaelcholáiste is situated in now has 13 classrooms, which is not enough to accommodate the 400 students intended by the Department to study at the school in the future. Likewise, the building lacks any practical rooms whereas the additional space that would be afforded by the monastery would allow a broader curriculum to be offered to students. It would also enable the school to become wheelchair accessible, which is very important. The Christian Brothers have considerable debt with the Department of education due to the amount of redress. As the monastery is a Christian Brothers' asset, it would be wise for the Department to acquire the building as part of the compensation. I would like the Minister of State to make a statement on whether this is something that has been considered by the Department. Will he commit to assisting the school in becoming fully established and effective, put all the worries the school currently has away and ensure that there is a healthy, vibrant and positive Gaelcholáiste?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:43+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-04