EDUCATION MINISTER’S VISIT TO MONAGHAN CAMPUS
Local Fine Gael Dail deputy for Cavan/Monaghan Seán Conlan has stated that Monday’s visit of the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn TD to the under construction Monaghan Educational Campus at Monaghan further illustrates this Government’s commitment to the development of education in County Monaghan and the wider region. Minister Quinn visited the site of the €37.5m investment on Monaghan’s Armagh Road where he viewed for himself the progress of the new educational campus which is taking shape there.
The campus is expected to be completed in late 2012.
Deputy Conlan said: “Minister Quinn was very impressed with the progress being made on the site and with the layout and quality of the campus. Since my election in February of last year I have impressed on the Minister many times the great importance of the new Monaghan campus for the future of education in the Cavan/Monaghan constituency and further afield. I am delighted that the project has progressed so far. The Minister’s visit which follows that of An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny in October of last year demonstrates the importance in which this project is held by Government and bodes well for education in the future.”
Monaghan VEC awarded the contract to John Sisk & Sons Ltd in August 2011. The campus will include new accommodation for a 16 classroom primary school for Gaelscoil Ultain, a 400 pupil post primary school for Gaelcholáiste Oiriall together with a 700 student Institute of Further Education for MIFET.
The campus will also include a state of the art theatre which will be the new home of The Garage Theatre. MIFET will also use the theatre in its further education courses. The theatre facility is being grant-aided to the tune of €3.6 million by the Department of Education & Skills in conjunction with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.