The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
SEAMOUNT College, Kinvara celebrated the official opening of the Pope Francis building on Friday. Minister for Training and Skills at the Department of Education and Skills Ciaran Cannon and Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan jointly opened the new facility.
Representatives from the Rescue Committee were present, as were Sisters of Mercy, Fr Frank Larkin and previous members of the Board of Management, Parents Council and various representatives involved with the design and construction of the new extension and refurbished classrooms.
Minister Cannon and Bishop Drennan addressed students before Principal Maighread Mhic Dhomhnaill paid tribute to all those who had worked towards keeping the school open and extending it.
“From some dark days where the future of Seamount College was a bleak picture with challenges from various directions we now gather together on a bright spring day to celebrate the opening of the Pope Francis building – a new wing which on a practical level gives us a great platform to deliver the best education possible to the children in our community – but on another level symbolises the incredible victory won by the school, the people of Kinvara and its supporters in retaining secondary education in the town,” she said.
The school added four specialist rooms in the past year including one for design, communication and graphics, a science laboratory, a computer room and a music room as well as extra classrooms and related facilities.
The Chairperson of the Board of Management also spoke as well as a student council representative.
Afterwards, refreshments were served by the parent’s Council and the school was open for viewing by the public. During the refreshments Minister Cannon joined some of the musicians playing on the school’s new piano. He also joined in with the quartet playing in the new music room.
