merrion street

More than €15 million invested in state of the art education buildings in Tralee including Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí , Kerry College of Further Education and Coláiste Gleann Lí

The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. will visit Kerry for a series of events on Thursday May 2^nd. The Minister is taking the opportunity to open a new further education building and visit two schools in Tralee before addressing the JMB/AMCSS annual conference in Killarney.

Minister McHugh begins engagements in the county with the official opening of Kerry College of Further Education, Main Street Campus in Tralee. 

This building provides additional accommodation for some of the Post Leaving Certificate students attending Kerry College of Further Education. Courses in this building include nursing and youth work programmes. The new building will provide places for more than 200 students.

The Minister will also visit the new site for Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí which will accommodate over 600 pupils. The new school, on a 2.27 hectare green field site at Hawley Park in the town, will provide state of the art accommodation for staff and students including 22 general purpose classrooms and specialist rooms for multimedia, music, design and communications graphics. The Minister will take part in a sod-turning ceremony to mark the beginning of the site enabling works.

The Minister will also formally open the recently completed extension at Coláiste Gleann Lí post primary school in Tralee during his visit to the area. The extension includes a full Special Needs Unit including two safe base classrooms, daily living skills areas and a multi-sensory room.

Speaking during the visit Minister McHugh said:

The extent of the investment in education is Tralee is significant and I am delighted to be able to see first-hand how school and college facilities are being improved.

We are supporting hundreds of further education students in Tralee, many of whom who are taking on courses such as nursing and youth work. And we are investing hugely in Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí and what will soon be home to a 600-student Irish-medium school on a greenfield site.  This is important investment in the next generation and also building to meet demand that is growing today and ensuring we can sustain that growth into the future.

Later on Thursday the Minister will address the JMB/AMCSS (Joint Managerial Body and Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools) annual conference in the Europe Hotel, Killarney. The organisation’s 32^nd annual conference looks at dialogue among school leaders and also features a keynote address from Pat Cox, former president of the European Parliament.