Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Táim ag labhairt inniu ar son na dtuismitheoirí, na ndaltaí agus na múinteoirí i nGaelcholáiste Reachrann i nDomhnach Míde. Tá an scoil ag feidhmiú i bhfoirgnimh shealadacha le breis agus 20 bliain. Tá sé ráite go minic ag an Rialtas go bhfuil an tionscadal ag dul ar aghaidh ach níl sé.

I raise yet again a matter that is a key priority for me. I spoke about it during the negotiations to form the Government. Gaelcholáiste Reachran is a school I know well. Many of my friends attended this school and their brothers and sisters are attending it now. The frustration of those involved with the school is growing day by day. They have been promised change for 24 years but they are still waiting. Currently, only 56 students are enrolled in first year. This represents a collapse in confidence. Why would there not be such a collapse? There have been temporary buildings in place since 2001, with no timeline, no delivery and no answers. Let us be honest, 24 years is not temporary; it is permanent. The school is not fit for purpose. No student should spend their entire school life in a prefab. No family should be expected to tolerate that, and no Government should allow it.

I have raised this matter three times in the Chamber. I continue to get the same response. The most recent update from the Department indicates that the project is at stage 3 and that a new grant of planning was received in December 2023 and is still being examined by the design team. The update ends by stating that the project remains a priority.

With full respect, it does not seem to me or to those of my constituents who are trying to send their children to be educated through the medium of Irish that this project is a priority. The founders of our State would turn in their graves if they thought that a school providing education through our native language is still looking for a permanent building. There are Gaeilgeoirs in north Dublin. The highest number of speakers of the Irish language live in Dublin, and we are not providing some of them with a permanent secondary school building. In the winter, the kids attending the school are freezing. It is ridiculous. The school has pupils enrolled,and there is demand. It has leadership and an unbelievable track record. The one thing it does not have is a proper school building. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is here. I welcome the fact that she has been engaging with me on this matter. I ask the Tánaiste directly not for a briefing or a phone call but for an in-person site visit before the end of the school term.

If this Government is serious about the Irish language, this is the test. On a broader point about being serious about the Irish language, Foras na Gaeilge is still operating on a 2003 budget. In 2003, it had €17 million while in 2025, it has €17 million. Meanwhile, the Arts Council went from €44 million to €140 million. I am delighted to see that the Arts Council got this increase, and I welcome that, but if the Irish language matters it is time to prove it.

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