Reverend Eugene Griffin, Dunboyne Rector, with Reverend Philip McKinley. Below, Minister Byrne turns the sod.

Sod turned on new school for Dunboyne

The sod was turned on the new school for St Peter's Church of Ireland Primary School, Dunboyne, on Friday 28th October by Meath East TD, Minister for EU Affairs, Thomas Byrne.

The new school will include five classrooms and two Special Education Needs rooms and will allow the school to grow to 100 pupils. When it opened in 2004 with 23 pupils, the school was the first Church of Ireland denominational school established in a new area since the foundation of the state. Since then the school has operated in temporary accommodation and has grown to an enrolment of over 70.

Minister Byrne said: “This is a significant step towards the delivery of the much needed permanent home for St Peter’s National School, Dunboyne. Since its establishment in 2004, the school has been operating from temporary accommodation. I am very honoured to have been asked to turn the sod."

“For some time, the school community have been understandably frustrated with the slow progress of the new building project. The school have been in very cramped accommodation on a very dangerous stretch of road in the village. As a member of the Opposition, I had continually raised and lobbied hard for the acquisition of a site and a proper permanent home for St Peter’s National School," he added.

“The new school building will allow the school to grow to accommodate around 100 pupils.”