New Dungiven Irish school officially opens

Education Minister, John ODowd joins Principal Diarmaid Ua Bruadair and pupils Rhiannon Nic FealÃ³in and SÃ©anna " MÃ¡irtÃn at the official opening of GaelcholÃ¡iste Dhoire, Dungiven, the Norths second post primary Irish Medium school.

The minister praised those “who have worked hard over the last number of years to establish this college”, including Principal Diarmaid Ua Bruadair, the governors led by Niall O’Kane and everyone connected with the school for their hard-work and determination in delivering a school which will benefit everyone in the Derry area.

Principal Ua Bruadair said: “Our young people have flourished in Gaelcholáiste Dhoire and with enrolment figures more than doubling for September 2016 it is clear that the minister’s confidence has been well placed and that there is a huge demand for IM education in the area.”

Gaelcholáiste Dhoire opened in September 2015. The school is situated in Dungiven Castle which is rented from Glenshane Community Development Limited. The school currently shares specialist accommodation with St Patrick’s College, Dungiven, on a short term basis. Specialist accommodation includes Home Economics; Science; and IT classrooms.

Vice chair of the Board of Governors, Nodlaig Brolly last year acknowledged criticism of the small first-year figures, but said that is commonplace within in the post-primary Irish-medium sector, and it is “a successful immersion educational model that has been replicated all over the country and is designed to cater for future growth in the sector”.