Coláiste Chú Chulainn 'not ready' for September, officials say

The brand new Coláiste Chú Chulainn school building will not be ready for the new academic year in September, according to Louth County Council. 

The building, located at the Marshes in Dundalk, has been a long time in the making and while construction - undertaken by Ganson Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd - has for the most part been completed, a new delay means the school will now not be ready for the new intake of students in September 2018. 

In response to a question posed by Dundalk Municipal District councillor Ruairi O Murchu at last week's monthly meeting, Director of Services Frank Pentony confirmed that a high court action taken by Bishop's Court residents is holding up the timeframe for the handover process. 

The issue has arisen due to the proximity of the sub station, which will provide power to the school, to some homes in the adjacent Bishop's Court. If installed, it will be just metres from some homes in the residential area.

12 months ago residents began a battle to prevent it's installation. They saw it's size and safety are paramount among their concerns. Campaigners petitioned the Department of Education against the sub station installation and are now taking their challenge to the High Court. 

The local authority say work is ongoing with windows being installed and roofing work commenced. However, works on the ESB sub station has been suspended following the legal intervention. A court decision was due but has been postponed and is now due later in April. 

Coláiste Chú Chulainn is a co-educational, multi-denominational school, which first opened in September 2014 with a founding class of 80 students. The new build will cater for up to 1,000 students. 

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