Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday morning, there was a devastating fire at Scoil Chaitríona Cailíní at Measc Avenue in Coolock. As a result, the school has been closed and approximately 200 pupils who attend it have no accommodation. The junior school has also been closed for the remainder of this week at least. The mood in Coolock, Artane and Harmonstown is one of absolute shock. Teachers and staff, parents and children, are upset and cannot believe what has happened. This school has been at the heart of the local community for almost 60 years and there has been huge loyalty to it, with parents actively involved in fundraising for it and maintaining its surrounding gardens and so on. The school also facilitates local charity and other events. The area is an old established Dublin community, as evidenced yesterday when local people, St. Paul's youth club and the Coolock Residents Association rallied to the cause and provided tea for all those affected.

When I visited the site yesterday, I spoke to some of the staff and parents. I again extend my solidarity and support to the principal, Ms Imelda Whelan, the deputy principal, Ms Fiona Gormley, the board of management of the school and all those affected by the fire. A Garda investigation into the cause of the fire is under way. Hopefully, we will know the outcome of this investigation sooner rather than later.

I pay tribute to the fire services for their professionalism and bravery in bringing the fire under control as quickly as possible. Six units of Dublin Fire Brigade fought the blaze and eventually extinguished it. Thankfully, nobody was injured. As a result of the efforts of fire-fighters, the junior school suffered only water and smoke damage and it is hoped that it will be up and running again soon. There are reports that the efforts of the fire services were delayed owing to poor water pressure in the area. Yesterday, I met a resident who told me that the fire hydrant outside his house is full of concrete and not working. I understand the area experiences poor water pressure on an ongoing basis. These issues will need to be examined by Dublin City Council, Irish Water and Dublin Fire Brigade.

There is now an urgent need to provide alternative accommodation for the teachers and pupils. Everyone in the area is anxious that this be done as soon as possible. I acknowledge that the Minister and his officials visited the school site yesterday, and I thank them. The junior school which was damaged by water and smoke needs to be reopened quickly. Options for the senior school include temporary prefab accommodation on site. As the school is located on a large site, there is space for prefab accommodation but there may be planning requirements around putting them in place. As a result, consideration may need to be given to availing of spare capacity at other schools in the area. When the Minister spoke to the parents yesterday, they told him that they want their children to continue their schooling in the immediate area. I hope this can be facilitated.

It is hoped that the process of repairing and renovating the damaged school building can commence without undue delay, with a contractor on site in the shortest possible timeframe. This is a resilient school community that will overcome this setback. I look forward to hearing from the Minister what progress has been made since he visited the school yesterday.

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