Minister Canney welcomes confirmation that construction of new Athenry Gaelscoil Campus will begin in early 2027
Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed confirmation that construction of two new school buildings on a shared campus in Athenry is expected to begin in early 2027.
The Board of Management has accepted the tender for the project, with a Letter of Intent now set to issue, clearing the way for construction to get underway early next year.
The project will see new state-of-the-art facilities delivered for Coláiste an Eachréidh and Gaelscoil Riada, bringing both post-primary and primary education together on a modern campus to serve the growing Athenry area.
Coláiste an Eachréidh will be delivered as a new 450-pupil post-primary school, including three dedicated Special Educational Needs classrooms, while Gaelscoil Riada will be developed as a new 16-classroom primary school, along with two dedicated Special Educational Needs classrooms.
Welcoming the development, Minister Canney said: “This is really good news for Athenry. These new schools have been a long time coming, and the confirmation that construction is expected to begin early next year is a major step forward.
“The approval of the tender means we are now moving towards the construction stage, which is what everyone has been waiting for.
“Bringing both schools together on one campus also makes sense from a community point of view. It will create a strong education hub in the town, with modern facilities for pupils and staff.”
Minister Canney added: “A lot of work has gone into getting this project to this stage. I look forward to seeing construction begin early in 2027 and these much-needed schools delivered for the Athenry community.”