Dismay at exclusion of Mayo schools in Minister’s school building list

A MAYO TD has described as 'damning' the failure of a single Mayo school to be included on the Government’s newly published list of 105 priority school building projects.

The Department of Education released the list of the 105 school projects including 31 new school buildings to progress to tender or construction over the course of 2026 and 2027 as part of a €1.6 billion in investment.

No Mayo school project was included among the list while the Minister of Education, Hildegard Naughton included ten school projects in her home county of Galway on the list.

Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh TD described the failure to include a single Mayo school as deeply shocking and a damning reflection of the Government’s attitude to Mayo when it comes to education.

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“I genuinely could not believe this decision when I saw the list. Minister Naughton knows there are so many schools across Mayo that have been waiting years for progress. To see none of them included is deeply shocking.

“In stark contrast, ten school projects in Galway – the Minister’s own county – have been included. Now of course these schools deserve investment too, but the complete exclusion of Mayo from this list reveals an unfair and unacceptable imbalance in how these projects were selected. 

“Only last week in the Dáil I raised St Brendan’s College in Belmullet who have been waiting nine years for their school extension, which will include two special education rooms. They’ve been left to source funding themselves for a ‘nurture room’ in time for next September’s enrolment. Given the urgency of the situation there, I was certain it would be included.

“I know that Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh submitted extensive plans ten months ago, yet despite repeated follow-up, there has been no update or communication from the Department on their expansion plans.

“An awful lot of voluntary work is carried out by Boards of Management, parents and teachers, often over many years, to jump through the Department’s hoops and secure funding for their schools. To see that dedication not even recognised with inclusion on a priority list is incredibly disappointing,” she said.

The Erris-based TD said she will be formally writing to the Minister seeking an explanation for why no Mayo schools were prioritised and to request immediate updates on behalf of St Brendan’s College, Belmullet, and Sancta Maria College, Louisburgh.

“Mayo students deserve the same level of investment in their futures as students anywhere else in the country. This is deeply unfair and simply not good enough.

“I call on the Minister to urgently review the list and address the serious failure to treat Mayo fairly when it comes to investment in education.”