Taoiseach praises diversity and inclusivity of new Cahir primary school at its official opening

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Bishop of Waterford & Lismore Alphonsus Cullinan had the joint honour of officially opening Bunscoil na Cathrach, Cahir’s state-of-the art co-educational primary school last Friday.

It was a day of celebration for the 412 students and 50 staff of the school at Convent Road, which is an amalgamation of Cahir Boys NS and Our Lady of Mercy NS for girls.

And it was a happy end to the two decades long project that had many delays, twists and turns along the way.

Construction began in December 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and the project was completed last year.

Students and staff moved into the sunlight filled, spacious two-storey building with 16 mainstream classrooms, 10 support classrooms and two ASD classes, on June 10 last year.

The visit of Mr Varadkar and Bishop Cullinan to officially open the new school was the icing on the cake. The Taoiseach was greeted on his arrival by a guard of honour of students and was welcomed by Principal Brendan Horan, Vice Principal Mairéad Gallagher and Bishop Cullinan.

Junior Infants Mikayla Phillips and Ollie MacCullough presented Mr Varadkar with a bunch of flowers and welcome card. Also there to greet him was Little Blue Garda hero seven-year-old Roisin Crowe from Lattin.

The Taoiseach and Bishop cut the ceremonial ribbon and a commemorative wall plaque was unveiled. The ceremony then moved indoors to the hall where the rest of the school community was assembled including board of management members, past pupils and past staff, local politicians and dignitaries along with pupils and staff.

Bishop Cullinan blessed the school and both the Taoiseach and Bishop addressed the packed hall.
In his speech, the Taoiseach congratulated Bunscoil na Cathrach’s students and staff and said this was a very special day for the school’s community.

He spoke of the hard work that went into amalgamating Our Lady of Mercy and Cahir Boys NS and paid tribute to how Bunscoil na Cathrach has grown into a diverse and inclusive school community.

Speaking directly to the school’s pupils, Mr Varadkar said: “You are the future, not just of this school, but of our country and the values of diversity and inclusiveness that you are learning here will stay with you.”

Principal Brendan Horan described the school as an investment in the future of its pupils and the generations to come. “This school has been talked about in the kitchens and living rooms of Cahir for many years. Thanks to the support of the community, parents’ councils, boards of management and private individuals, it’s now a physical, tangible reflection of the hopes and wishes of the future of our town.”

Mr Horan said Bunscoil na Cathrach represented a “step forward” in the inclusion of Special Education in their community and it reflected the diversity in their community with students from 20 nationalities and 11 different religious faiths or none attending there.

The ceremony concluded with 5th class pupil Callum Boles, accompanied by Flavius Emanuel Ruscior on piano accordian and teacher Fidelma Nugent on keyboard, leading the school community in singing Slievenamon.

Mr Varadkar and Bishop Cullinan finished their visit with a tour of the school and a cup of tea afterwards with staff and guests in the hall.

Check out more photos from the Bunscoil na Cathrach official opening in this week's edition of The Nationalist now in local shops. 

Pictured below: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar accepts flowers from Junior Infants pupil Mikayla Phillips on his arrival. Pic. John D Kelly.