Coláiste Iognáid (The Jes ) is to receive funding from the Department of Education and Science to provide a substantial extension to the school.
Ten new classrooms, as well as a new domestic room, a pastoral area, sports hall, staff room, changing rooms, admin block, and meeting rooms, will all be included in the new building.
And for the first time the school will have its own front entrance from Sea Road through the Andrews building. The extension will be built on the site of the former Jesuit residence as the Jesuits have now moved to a smaller house on the campus.
"The news is a wonderful endorsement of the work of the staff, parents, Board of Management and the Jesuit Order who have spearheaded Jesuit education in Galway", said Mr Bernie O'Connell, school principal.
"In particular, I'd like to pay tribute to my predecessors Frank Canavan and Paddy Lydon who worked so hard for the happy outcome soon to be realised. It is now incumbent upon all the school community to ensure that the school discharges its own financial contribution, and takes utmost advantage of this great opportunity to provide a high quality educational environment for our students.”
The principal also thanked his staff and students as well as local TDs Frank Fahey and Noel Grealish.
The Jesuits have been involved in education in Galway for over three centuries . And recently the number of pupils attending Coláiste Iognáid has doubled from 300 to 620.
Fr John Humphreys, SJ, Chair of the Board of Management and superior of the Jesuit community in Galway, added, "Coláiste Iognáid is a great school, co-ed, and taking in students from a whole cross-section of society. It has a teaching stream through Irish and the Fr Bob McGoran, SJ centre which serves pupils with autism. It's great now to be able to facilitate this type of education to the highest standards.”
