Castleblayney Mother Pleads to Save Little Wonders Service From Closure
Little Wonders, a Castleblayney after-school service for children with additional needs, faces closure in December because of a lack of HSE funding, Northern Sound reports. Mother Ciara Cunningham says families would lose 'a lifeline'.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Drumlin countryside, Co. Monaghan, near the border. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Little Wonders, an after-school service in Castleblayney for children with additional needs, faces closure in December because of a lack of HSE funding, Northern Sound reported on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Local mother Ciara Cunningham has made an emotional plea to keep it open. She says families would lose "a lifeline".
"Not a luxury"
"Little Wonders is not simply an after-school service. It is a crucial part of our family life," Ms Cunningham told Northern Sound. "For many of us, Little Wonders is not a luxury; it is an essential service that allows us to function as families."
She said that without it, many families would struggle to keep working, get rest or spend time with their other children. "Many parents of children with complex needs have not experienced a full night's sleep since their children were born," she said. She praised the dedication of Claire, who runs the service, and her team.
What Little Wonders does
The service's website describes it as an early intervention centre. It offers specialist after-school services, holiday camps and a Saturday club for children with intellectual disabilities.
Cavan and Monaghan ETB chief executive Dr Fiona McGrath says she will call a special meeting of members to discuss the special school's building in Castleblayney, more classrooms on the site, and the prospect of a new school elsewhere.
The R181 Castleblayney to Keady road at Killygola can close for up to two weeks between Monday 26 October and Friday 28 November. The signposted diversion runs about 30km via the R182, Newtownhamilton and the A29.
Monaghan County Council and Coillte have created a three-hectare native woodland beside the Scotch Corner Recycling Centre near Castleblayney, planted with birch, rowan, oak, hazel and alder.
