New £7m Secondary School at Mounthawk by September

A model of the new school at Mounthawk, Tralee which is due to be completed by September 2001

Work is well underway on the new Secondary School which is being built at Mounthawk (where the old Tralee Golf Club used to be), just outside Tralee.

The new school, which is designed to accommodate 1,000 students, will easily cope with the 1,200 students from the existing Balloonagh and Moyderwell Secondary Schools when they amalgamate at the start of the new term in September. The post of Principal of the 100-teacher school has already been advertised and should be filled shortly.

Plans are underway to provide the very best facilities in the new building, according to Neal Timlin, who is Chairman of the School's Finance Committee. Along with strictly educational facilities (classrooms, labs etc.), it is proposed to provide a PE Hall, which will accommodate an international-sized basketball court, a full canteen as well as several playing pitches on the 16 acre site. "We want to provide the best of facilities at the school", he said, "so there can be no penny-pinching." He was most complimentary towards the Government for its assistance: "The Department of Education has been tremendously helpful to us and their people have been pro-active all the way in wanting to provide us with a top class school." It is estimated that the project will end up costing in the region of £7 million. Although the Department is providing most of the funding, 'extras' have to be provided from local sources.

All in all, this massive project (which must be the biggest school project in the history of the State) is in safe hands. Apart from Neal Timlin on the Finance Committee are: Clayton Reidy (Abbeydorney) and Michael Culloty (both representing Moyderwell), Ena Harty and Sr. Brigid (both representing Balloonagh). The new school's Board of Management comprises: Sr. Ella (Waterford), George Rice, Michael Carmody (Balloonagh Parents), Margot O'Carroll (Moyderwell Parents), Neal Timlin and teachers Marie McGillycuddy (Balloonagh) and Marie Sexton (Moyderwell).