by Alan Jacques
SINN Fein General Election candidate Cllr Maurice Quinlivan has called for a new secondary school for the Castleconnell area.
Responding to election promises of a new secondary school for the Castletroy area of the city, Cllr Quinlivan, who is running in the Limerick City constituency, said that his preferred option is for any new school to be sited between Annacotty and Castleconnell.
The Castleconnell area, he maintains, has been largely forgotten by sitting TDs “for too long”.
“There is definitely a need for a new secondary school on that side of the city, but Castleconnell appears to be ignored in terms of consideration for location,” Cllr Quinlivan claimed.
“When you consider that there are three primary schools across Castleconnell, Lisnagry and Ahane with 800 pupils in total, I believe there is a strong case for siting any new secondary school between Annacotty and Castleconnell,” he told the Limerick Post.
According to Cllr Quinlivan, many parents in the Castleconnell and Ahane areas have had no choice for many years other than to send their children out of the county to be educated in County Tipperary.
“There is also increasing concern about the future priority that pupils from these areas will have with regard to schools in the Castletroy and city areas. A secondary school close to Castleconnell would meet the needs of parents across a wide range of locations including Annacotty and Castletroy.
“It would also bring badly needed sporting and recreational facilities to the communities in these areas, areas that have largely been forgotten when it comes to investment by the State.”
“A positive decision in favour of Castleconnell would also give a significant economic lift to the local economy in that part of the county, with shops, cafés and local employment all being given a lift.
Castleconnell has seen a massive increase in housing, but no corresponding investment in resources or sporting and recreational amenities. Prioritising this area for a new secondary school would be a significant step in correcting this situation,” he concluded.
