This article is from page 32 of the 2008-09-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
MAJOR population growth in New- market-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge should put the possibility of building a secondary school for the area on the agenda.
That’s according to Newmarket-on- Fergus based Councillor Pat McMa- hon (Fianna Fail), who said the pos- sibility should be explored.
Several new housing estates have been built in both villages over the past few years and there is a belief that educational facilities should increase, to cater for the increasing numbers of residents.
Speaking at a meeting of Shannon area councillors last week, Cllr Mc-
Mahon said he accepted, even if con- firmation was given, it would take more than a decade for the project to be completed.
“They are two areas of growth. They should be now looking for a secondary school for that area for the future. Some person may wake up in the department and investigate it and send down a team,” he said.
His calls were supported by Sixmi- lebridge Councillor John Crowe (FG), who pointed out that the pri- mary school in Sixmilebridge has become heavily populated in recent years.
“Within three years, there will be 600 pupils in Sixmilebridge Na- tional School. That’s bigger than a
lot of schools in the country. There are at least three buses a day going from our area alone to the schools in Shannon,” he said.
‘These children have been born in Sixmulebridge. There are an extra three prefabs in Sixmilebridge this year,” he added.
Shannon-based Councillor Gerry Flynn (Independent) pointed out that some schools in Shannon had closed their books as they were full.
“It’s down to the proliferation of houses. Houses do not make commu- nities. Infrastructure and community facilities do. The problem in Limer- ick is that community facilities were not put in. That’s what it’s all about, a bit of joined-up thinking,” he said.
Fine Gael Councillor Tony Mulc- ahy said that thousands of new hous- es have been built over the past few years, adding, “where the schools are going to come from is beyond me.”
Saying he would support the mo- tion, he said, “I wish ye well, but re- alistically it is hard to see where it is going to come from.”
Councillor Patricia McCarthy (In- dependent) suggested that a feasibil- ity study should be carried out and this would ascertain the needs in those areas, given that some Shan- non schools were full and the in- creased population in Sixmilebridge and Newmarket-on-Fergus. “Maybe the VEC should be involved,’ she SHOE