Dignitaries gathered for official opening of Lisheen school extension

PUPILS and staff at Lisheen National School near Glenamaddy were joined by religious and public representatives for the official opening of their extension. [private] The school, which has increased from three to five classrooms, caters for a small group of 29 pupils, under the stewardship of principal Siobhan Conneelly and her staff. Archbishop Micheal Neary performed a special blessing on the new rooms in the presence of Fr Paddy Mooney PP and his predecessor Fr Michael Goaley. The children sang and performed a musical medley on the tin whistle for their guests, which included local TDs Colm Keaveney and Paul Connaughton Junior along with councillors Tom McHugh and Michael Connolly. 'We've fought a long battle over the past five years to secure the funding for this project and it's wonderful to be celebrating our achievements here today,' said Siobhan. 'We had 48 pupils in recent years which led to very cramped conditions and even now the numbers have dropped somewhat we have the facilities to cater for a larger school community that we are confident of attracting over the coming years.' The extension includes two new classrooms with integrated toilets, a staff room and principal's office. [/private]