Taoiseach Opens New Buildings for Gaelscoil Lorgan in Castleblayney and Gaelscoil Eois in Clones
Micheál Martin officially opened the new school buildings in Clones and Castleblayney on Friday and spoke in Irish at both. Gaelscoil Lorgan spent 18 years in a converted warehouse.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Market House, Castleblayney. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Deadstar · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin officially opened the new buildings of Gaelscoil Lorgan in Castleblayney and Gaelscoil Eois in Clones on Friday, 23 October, RTÉ News and the Anglo-Celt reported. He gave both speeches in Irish.
Gaelscoil Lorgan was founded in 2008. It spent 18 years in temporary accommodation in an old warehouse before moving into its new building this autumn. Northern Sound said contracts for the €7.5 million project were signed in 2024.
Gaelscoil Eois was set up in 1995 and had three different homes before its new building opened in May 2025. RTÉ said it started upstairs in Lipton's shop in Clones, then moved to a disused national school in Aughkilly, and later to prefabs back in the town.
"Fought and struggled for this day"
Brendan O'Dufaigh chairs the board of management of both schools. He told RTÉ that the principals and boards had "fought and struggled for this day". He said neither school previously had office space, libraries or special educational needs rooms, and one had no outdoor space at all.
RTÉ noted that Co Monaghan has four gaelscoileanna and one gaelcholáiste. According to the last census, it has the highest level of Irish speakers outside the Gaeltacht. The Taoiseach told the Anglo-Celt that more gaelcholáistí are needed where there are many gaelscoileanna, but that falling population is a challenge.
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