School Facilities
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-14
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Alan Dillon (FG), Mayo

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Naughton, regarding the provision of sports facilities at the Carrigtwohill school campus in east Cork. Indeed, it is not the first time Deputy O'Connor has raised this matter in the Dáil. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, is aware of this issue and she recently met with Scoil Mhuire Naofa and local representatives on the matter. I am sure the Deputy is aware of that.
As the Deputy said, the Carrigtwohill school campus project is the largest single school building project ever undertaken by the Department, to serve some 2,400 pupils. The project was completed in Q4 of 2023 under the Department’s design and build programme. It includes two 24-classroom primary schools for Carrigtwohill Community National School and Scoil Mhuire Naofa and accommodation, including 14 classrooms across the three projects, for children with special education needs. The project also delivered three general purpose areas, a PE hall in the post-primary school and 13 ball courts in total.
The schools on the campus have sought to use a green area, which forms part of the site, for recreation purposes. As someone with a sporting background, I can see how important the provision of green playing areas is for school activities and to ensure children get the best experience at the earliest stage possible. Being a keen sporting supporter, the Deputy will really work with the local public representatives but also with the Department in trying to formulate a solution to the problem. As the Deputy outlined, the area in question is not suitable for use as a formal playing pitch, as it is required as an attenuation basin for flood management. However, the Department is pleased to support the schools' access to the green area as an informal recreation space.
Planning permission was granted by Cork County Council for an entrance and access way to this green area, as a stand-alone planning application. The scope of works and associated costs to provide the entrance and access way has recently been reviewed by the Department. The Department's programme manager has been requested to carry out a further due diligence review to establish a more cost-effective option to deliver the access way to the green area south of the campus buildings. Once received, Department officials will further review the proposed scope of work and costs, along with the programme timeline for completion of the access and entrance way to the southern green area. Department officials will update the schools and patron bodies upon completion of that review.
In addition, the Department has agreed that the area of 1.9 acres to the north of the campus in the Department's ownership, to which the Deputy referred, can be used as a recreation area by the schools on a licence basis. Officials from the Department are in contact with the relevant stakeholders to progress this. Should the land be required to support school place expansion in the future, its use as a recreation area will cease. The Department of Education and Youth has had positive and productive engagement with the three schools and their patrons throughout all stages of this project and will continue to support the schools on the new school campus.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-14