On Friday, 14 November 2025, we were delighted and privileged to host Minister Michael Moynihan (Minister for Special Education and Inclusion) at Scoil Mhuire Naofa.
Mr. Declan Conboy (former Principal of Carrigallen Vocational School) and I had an online meeting with Minister Moynihan in July 2025. This meeting, regarding building issues for both schools, was organised by Cllr. Paddy O’Rourke. During the online meeting, Minister Moynihan indicated that he would consider visiting Carrigallen in the autumn. Thanks to the persistent efforts of Cllr. Paddy O’Rourke, this became a reality. Our school received an email from Tanya Poltoranova (Office of Minister Moynihan) on 6 November 2025, confirming a Ministerial visit for both schools on 14 November 2025.
As most of our school community knows, we have been sanctioned a substantial school extension. While this is great news for our school, concerns remain regarding the size of our Central Activities Space (CAS) allocation. Our school is only permitted an 80m² CAS in the current design brief. This allocation is too small given our school population and the allocation of five Special Classes (ASD).
To demonstrate the inadequacy of this allocation, we marked out an 80m² space in the Set Down with spray paint and erected barriers as makeshift walls. The swing area was cordoned off, and we took pictures of our Special Class pupils, 6th class, and finally the entire mainstream population in this space to illustrate the issue.
On the day of the visit, the Minister met our Student Council, the Parents Association, Board of Management and Eamonn Monaghan. He then toured all of our Special Classes (ASD). He also took time to speak with our 6th class about the importance of enjoying their final months in primary school. The Minister, his aides, and other guests were asked to stand in our mock Central Activities Space to gain perspective. Once inside, they were asked how a school could meet the Department of Education and Youth’s own recommendations for such a space, which include:
- Linking the CAS with the mainstream school element to promote integration with mainstream students.
- Providing a therapy area for visiting physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and support professionals.
- Serving as a resource area for group activities, living skills, drama, dance, exercise, etc.
- Supporting specific special needs activities, group learning, or as a social space where students of all abilities can gather for a chat, a presentation, or something to eat.
The guests were then invited into the General-Purpose (G.P.) Room, where Eamonn Monaghan (Keys and Monaghan Architects) presented our Stage 1 school extension drawings. School management followed with a brief PowerPoint presentation outlining:
- Reasons why the 80m² allocation is insufficient.
- Photographs demonstrating this point.
- Where the School Design Guidelines (SDG-02-04) permit an increase in allocation based on a school’s needs.
- Potential uses for a larger CAS outside school hours, such as Sensory Santa, Parent Information talks, courses for parents, Middletown Centre for Autism courses, Carrigallen All Stars, and the Special Olympics Young Athletes Programme.
While our presentation and the issue regarding the CAS were well received by the Minister and his aides, there is no certainty that we will receive an increase in the design brief.
To conclude the visit, Minister Moynihan was presented with Leaning on Gates by Seamus O’Rourke and a bottle of Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.
We would like to sincerely thank the following for helping us with the Ministerial visit:
- Cllr. Paddy O’Rourke
- Parents and pupils
- Student Council
- School staff
- Board of Management
- Parents’ Association
- Keys and Monaghan Architects
We would also like to acknowledge the other guests in attendance on the day: Eamon Scanlon (TD), Martin Kenny (TD), Cllr. Róisín Kenny, Cllr. Gary Prior, and Marie Conboy (Leitrim Observer).
Credit: Marie Conboy for photos.
