New start for new school

STAFF, students and parents of Dundalk’s Colasiti Chu Chulainn and Lu got an early Christmas present when contractors moved onto the site at the Marshes to commence work at the site.

Hoarding and cabins went onto the site just before Christmas Day and groundwork is expected to get underway shortly. It is a major boost for the often-delayed project, which faced a number of hurdles over the past two years. But, it is hoped, that the new 1000 student state of the art school will be open for the new term in September 2018.

On his appointment as CEO of the Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB), Martin O’Brien said the colaiste contract was his ‘ top priority’ and a new sense of purpose was brought to the issue, and a number of meetings took place in October and November between the education board and the Department of Education in order to progress the start of the work.

Mr O’Brien said he was supported in the meetings by Louth County Council chief executive, Joan Martin and officials from the council. He said: ‘I’m very grateful to the department and council staff for their efforts and it is expected that by New Year’s Day next year, the construction work will be finished, with the roof on and the windows in, and it is envisaged that the rest of contract time, from then to June 2018 will be taken up with fitting out the inside of the school to the very highest standards.

‘I think this time next year the site will look very different. It’s all systems go now on the contract and it was great that people were able to see the work starting here before they sat down to their Christmas dinner’.

Mr O’Brien paid tribute to the staff of the colaisti for their dedication to the project.

He said: ‘ The principal and staff have been working extremely hard in a difficult situation where they are operating across a split campus and they have done a terrific job over the past few years’.