Push for new school on east of Mullingar

A call to have a new secondary school provided in Mullingar – ideally on the eastern end of the town – has gone out from the members of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

The proposal was made by Cllr Ken Glynn, who suggested that the district contact the Department of Education “to identify the need to start planning” for an additional secondary school in Mullingar due to the rate of housing construction locally.

Cllr Glynn said that while he had first suggested consideration needed to be given to the requirement for a new school seven or eight years ago, that need had become clearer when one considered the large housing developments being undertaken at Ballinderry, Newtown, Rathgowan, and on the Glenveagh Homes sites at Farranshock.

As it was, he said, there’s not a year that goes by in which he is not contacted by parents unable to secure school places for their children. As a member of the board of management for a school, he continued, he sees the level of applications coming in.

“I think we now need to be banging on the door to the Department of Education, and we need to be telling them that we are identifying a situation here where the growth of Mullingar is going to significantly increase in the next few years. And I think we need to be ready for that. And that’s why I would propose this motion today.”

Cllr Mick Dollard remarked that there are four secondary schools in Mullingar: “But if you flew over Mullingar in a helicopter, you would actually notice that a lot of the education facilities are on the west end of Mullingar, and there is a huge dearth of educational facilities on the east end of Mullingar.”

Cllr Dollard remarked that 292 houses are to be built by James Andrews between the N4 and the Ardmore Road; there is continued development at Gleann Petit, and development proposed for Robinstown.

He agreed that the council should write to the Department of Education expressing the concern of councillors over the deficit. “It’s a timely motion,” he said.

Cllr Emily Wallace said she had personal experience in that four years ago, her daughter had had to go on a waiting list for a school place – a stressful experience. Since 2016, she said, the population of Mullingar has grown by 8.6 per cent, and each of the local schools has more than 800 pupils.

“We’re advertising Mullingar as a place to live and work. We’re encouraging people. It’s a great town and it’s a busy town – but if we need to provide services, the schools are part of that,” she stated.

Cllr Denis Leonard, stating that he has been working in education for 40 years, observed that individual schools can become “too big”.

“I think sometimes it we’re pushing everyone into the same few schools and building extensions and building extensions – it’s not a good model,” he said.

Cllr Leonard said he has been writing to the Department of Education looking for a secondary school for Kinnegad since 2003 – and even though a government report in 2004 said there would be a secondary school in Kinnegad post-2011, that still has not happened, even though there is a site available.

Also in support of the motion was Cllr Hazel Smyth, who earlier this year called for provision of a new primary school for Mullingar, and who felt that no time should be wasted: “We’ve seen how long it takes to build a school. All you have to do is look at the new primary school there on the Ardmore Road,” she said, adding that given the population growth forecast for Mullingar, “we should have probably started a couple of years ago”.

Cllr Frank McDermott agreed about the geographical divide, and wondered would Marlinstown landfill site be a suitable location for a new secondary school.

The written response from the district executive stated that the planning authority has liaised with the Department of Education in relation to the issues papers for the Mullingar Local Area Plan 2024-2030.

“This liaison will continue with the department during the drafting of the plan. If the members agree, a letter can also be issued to the Department of Education,” the reply concluded.

The cathaoirleach, Cllr John Shaw, directed that a letter be drawn up for the department.