New €2 million gaelscoil in Laois to get bilingual signs in village
The new building for Gaelscoil Shlí Dála in Ballaghmore is up and running
Bilingual signs will be provided for the new gaelscoil in Laois which has seen huge work in the past few months.
The new school building for Gaelscoil Shlí Dála in Ballaghmore was officially opened in June after the school had to work out of prefabs for over 20 years.
Over €2 million was spent on the construction of the school which is under the joint patronage of the Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland.
Councillor Conor Bergin, who is now the Chairperson of the School Board following the late Liam O’Neill, requested Laois County Council to install new entrance and exit signage for the school in Ballaghmore.
Speaking at the September meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick MD, Cllr Bergin asked if these signs could be bilingual, displaying both Irish and English, in keeping with the school’s status as a gaelscoil.
“As the new Chairperson of the Board, I have been asked to raise this regarding the school. Fantastic facilities have been put in there and there’s a very busy creche there too. I was asked if we could get these new road signs just showing the way to school,” the Fine Gael Councillor said.
“The school is thriving. If we could get these signs up it would make a huge difference.”
The MD Office agreed to assess the public road parallel to Gaelscoil Shlí Dála to determine the appropriate placement for new directional entrance and exit signs.
As these signs will sit on the public road network rather than the school grounds, Laois County Council will oversee the installation. All signs erected will be bilingual, displaying both Irish and English, ensuring full compliance with national signage regulations.
In March, Cllr Bergin requested that a new carpark be installed at the school that would include designated disability and age-friendly parking spaces.
Not only does the existing carpark support the primary school, but also Kyle GAA Club, Caterpillars Childcare, as well as St. Molua's Church and graveyard.
Following the support from a number of councillor’s discretionary funding, the carpark is now complete and is “absolutely fantastic,” according to Cllr Bergin.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme