Back to school for former Galway county councillor!

A former member of Galway County Council has produced an engineering textbook that has been circulated to more than 400 schools around the country.

The textbook is for students who choose engineering as one of their chosen subjects for the Junior Cycle (formerly the Junior Cert).

It is compiled by former councillor and vocational school teacher Seán Ó Tuairisg from Indreabhán, having been commissioned by the Department of Education.

But his involvement in the Junior Cert syllabus on this particular subject dates back to the mid-1980s, when he was asked by the Department to produce a textbook on the subject of metalwork.

It evolved from there and in the meantime, he has updated the syllabus on no fewer than eight occasions and as students begin their new school term this week, they will be studying Seán’s latest version entitled Basic Engineering for the Junior Cycle.

Seán was Vice Principal of Coláiste Cholmcille in Indreabhán until he took early retirement in 2004 following his election to Galway County Council on a Fianna Fáil ticket.

In his last year on the local authority, he served as Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, and did not seek re-election in last May’s local elections.

During his career in Coláiste Cholmcille, he taught metalwork, engineering and technical drawing.

There are around 8,000 students studying engineering in mainly former vocational schools across the country, but Seán explained that the subject was getting very popular in mainstream schools and he was also encouraged by the increasing number of girls who were taking it up.

He said that the subject covers more diverse courses than in the past, while the syllabus changes on a more frequent basis as technology evolves.

Seán said that health and safety when dealing with machinery had become a major element of the subject, while the introduction of 3D printing in the manufacture of machinery parts had now been introduced.

It also involves mechatronics which is a branch of engineering that involves the creation of electrical and mechanical systems.

“It has changed so much over the years that students are now even learning how to devise something as diverse as an automated traffic barrier by using proximity sensors.

“This used to be a minority subject but the numbers taking it up age growing each year,” said Seán who also compiles an Irish-language version of the textbook for secondary schools in the Gaeltacht areas such as Carraroe, Rosmuc, Carna and the islands.

But he said that he gets great help from his sons Eoin, who is an electrical engineer in San Jose; Aodhán, who is also an electrical engineer in Los Angeles and Cormac who is a qualified aeronautical engineer who is now teaching in Spiddal along with daughter Sheila.