Breifne plans by year end

Plans for a major new multi-million extension proposed for Breifne College in Cavan Town will be lodged with the local authority for approval before the end of this year.

The update on the building project, double the size of a previously delivered extension, was provided to members of Cavan-Monaghan ETB when they met at Coláiste Dun na Ri in Kingscourt last week.

The Department of Education gave the green light to the local education board to proceed beyond Stage 2b (detailed design/planning) last May.

Back in November 2021, the Cavan Town secondary school was provided with a suite of new classrooms, four special needs classrooms, science labs, and purpose-built art, technology and engineering classrooms.

The latest approval from the department is for four general classrooms and seven Special Education and Training (SET) rooms, three Science labs and two prep rooms, two engineering rooms, two tech rooms and two prep rooms, one graphics room, an art room, textiles room, project storage, and two Special Educational Needs (SEN) classes and ancillary accommodation.

Director of Organisation Support and Development (OSD), Karen McBride, shared details of the Breifne proposal and others across the two counties with the assembled board members.

It was stated during a separate earlier presentation that the ETB is currently operating a pipeline of 24 projects worth in excess of €223M across the two counties.

In respect of other building projects, the design team attached to Virginia College is currently progressing the detailed design report; while a detailed design report in respect of Dún an Rí itself was submitted to the department in early June.

The ETB members were told that regarding plans for Beech Hill College, the ETB received approval from the department in early July to issue a ‘Letter of Intent’ to a contractor for the project. Ms McBride explained that the first successful tenderer did not take up the contract, and work is now progressing to get contracts signed with a new preferred builder. This will include a bond to ensure the works are done and completed, she noted.

Elsewhere, the team appointed to oversee a three-classroom extension at Castleblayney College was due to finalise a detailed design by the end of July; while Monaghan County Council has requested further information on plans to build two SET rooms, a textile and music room, and a science lab with prep area at Inver College.

The ETB is also overseeing the delivery of additional accommodation projects at several non-ETB schools. These include “ongoing works” at Castleblayney Gaelscoil Lorgan and at Clones Gaelscoil Eois.

Works on a five-classroom extension at Rockcorry Scoil Mhuire are due to begin in the third quarter of 2025, and the Edenmore Primary is engaging with the Department regarding the scope of the works in respect of an extension to house one mainstream and two ASD classrooms.

An appointed team is working on the detailed design for a new PE hall at Monaghan Collegiate, while a feasibility study was issued to the Department with regards to similar propose development at the Royal School in Cavan Town, with an instruction now awaited.

Elsewhere, Monaghan County Council approved plans for an extension at Doohamlet in June, and a cost plan was subsequently forwarded to the department for approval.

“There is a lot of work going on,” remarked CMETB chair, Fine Gael’s Carmel Brady.

Independent Councillor Brendan Fay meanwhile congratulated the executive on the work done to date, as did Fianna Fáil’s Séamus Coyle who said the variety of projects with which the organisation is involved and the level of investment in education in the region is a mark of great credit.