Gaelscoil near Omagh awaits planning permission for new £2.3 million school

by Gráinne Connolly

An Irish language school near Omagh has submitted a formal application for planning permission to build a new school. 

Since 2006, Gaelscoil na gCrann has been operating in temporary classrooms beside the Dun Uladh Centre and Killyclogher St.Mary's/Cappagh GAA facilities. 

Last year the school was described as "the fastest growing school in the Omagh area" by the Chair of the Board of Governors. 

Funding for the development was first announced by former Education Minister John O'Dowd, in 2 thousand and 14 and planning permission was submitted nearly 2 weeks ago, on the 23rd of March. 

If permission is granted, construction on the new site could be underway by the end of this year. 

The site will be built on the opposite side of the Drumnakilly Road, across from the current school and construction is expected to take around 60 weeks. 

A state of the art single-storey school is planned with seven classrooms and a single unit nursery. 

Numbers for the Irish speaking school has risen over the past 3 years, with an oversubscribed naíscoil (nursery), expecting around 175 pupils in total for when the new school is built.