Dominick Donnelly

9^th February 2009

 Commenting on the announcement recently by the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, that work is to start later in the year to build a new national school in Passage West, local Green Party Town Councillor, and candidate for the county council in the local elections, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly said:  “It is absolutely wonderful that the new school for Passage West is finally going to be built.  It has taken ten years of battling for this community to get this far, and the Minister’s announcement is to be applauded.  However most of the applause should be given to the staff, parents and students of Star of the Sea National School, who have not stilted in their campaign to have proper school facilities for the children of Passage West.”

Cllr. Donnelly continued:  “I, along with my party colleague Senator Dan Boyle, have taken part in many meetings and protests over the years to try to progress the funding of this absolutely essential piece of local infrastructure.  It is terrific that soon the children of Passage West will not have to go to school in prefabs, but will have a proper school building with proper space and facilities in which to learn.  As a teacher myself, I applaud the work that has been done over the years by the Prinicipal of Star of the Sea, Brendan McCormack, and his staff, for the superb work they have done in maintaining an excellent standard of education in very difficult circumstances.”