Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will return to the wider issue shortly. If the Minister was to visit Gaelcholáiste Reachrann she would be taken aback at the poor state of the buildings in which the young people are learning, which has been an ongoing issue for years. It is one of the only Gaelcholáistí on the north side of Dublin and it services quite a number of Gaelscoileanna, including one which I attended, Gaelscoil Míde. The spirit and enthusiasm of the school community is completely undermined by the State of the buildings.

I invited the Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy O'Donovan, during a debate on the Irish language, to visit the school. It is one thing to make positive contributions in this House on the state of the Irish language and on what we believe in when it comes to the Irish language but it is another thing to visit a school that needs a drastic overhaul and drastic investment. I invite the Minister, therefore, to visit the school and see what can be done. She outlined the planning process but the enthusiasm and vision of this school's community is not being matched by the same level of enthusiasm or vision from the Department.

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