Some West Cork children face 160km round trips for Irish secondary schools

Children in West Cork who want to continue their education through Irish at second level have no choice but to undertake daily round trips of up to 160km, as there is currently no Irish-medium secondary school in the region.

At present, there are four Gaelscoileanna —Bandon, Clonakilty, Skibbereen, and Oileán Chléire (Cape Clear Island), with an estimated 625 pupils attending them.

However, when students complete primary school and wish to continue their education through Irish, they must travel to Gaelcholáistí in Ballyvourney, Ballincollig or Carrigaline.

Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre Kelly raised the issue at a recent meeting in County Hall, saying this places children who want to continue their education through Irish at a distinct and unfair disadvantage.

“So, for example, if a child in Skibbereen was accepted into a school in Carrigaline for second-level education this would involve a 160km roundtrip,” 

Ms Kelly said.

She pointed out that a lobby group recently undertook a survey to assess demand for an Irish-speaking secondary school in the region. As well as receiving responses from Bandon, Cape Clear, Clonakilty, and Skibbereen, it also received responses from the Beara Peninsula, Dunmanway, Rosscarbery, and Schull.

She said that if a child from the Beara Peninsula secured a place in Carrigaline, the daily commute would total 266km.

“Aside from the from the fact that a Gaelcholáiste is desperately needed in West Cork region for the current Gaelscoileanna pupils if it were in place, it would encourage schools that are even further away to continue learning in the Irish medium,” Ms Kelly said. She said the council’s County Development Plan forecasts a 20% increase in the population of West Cork by 2034, meaning demand is likely to grow.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan, chairperson of Cork Education and Training Board, said the most suitable location for a new Irish-speaking school would be Clonakilty.