Scoil Fhursa kids return with an extra pep in their step!

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – As hundreds of city children went back to primary school on Monday for the first time since Christmas, pupils of Scoil Fhursa had more reason than most to have pep in their step – because they were returning to revamped classrooms!

Principal Bríd Ní Neachtain stood outside the door of the newly-refurbished school at Nile Lodge Monday morning and just watched the joy on students’ faces.

“It’s great to see their lovely faces. I’m so excited for the children – it’s all about the kids for me,” she said.

Ms Ní Neachtain oversaw the renovation and extension of the historical building, which was delivered ahead of schedule despite Covid.

The initial plan was to commence the work last January but bad weather initially slowed progress, and seven weeks were lost during the first Covid lockdown. That pushed the project completion date out to June 2021 but, ironically, Covid’s enforced school closures facilitated faster construction.

“We actually got the project in ahead of time, during a pandemic, so it was a great achievement for us,” said Ms Ní Neachtain.

She explained that 50-year-old prefabs onsite were knocked and four classrooms were extended onto the school and new support rooms and offices were added.

During the building phases, when children weren’t being home-schooled, half of the pupils were being taught in St Mary’s College around the corner and the other half were in rented rooms in the Ardilaun Hotel.
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story and for photos of the kids back at school, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.