Additional Bus to Gaelcholáiste Sanctioned for Castleisland Students

Cllr. Bobby O'Connell (left) with Damien English, Minister of State at the Departments of Education and Skills and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Brendan Griffin, TD during a visit by the minister to Castleisland earlier this year. ©Photograph: John Reidy 12-2-2015
Cllr. Bobby O’Connell (left) with Damien English, Minister of State at the Departments of Education and Skills and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Brendan Griffin, TD during a visit by the minister to Castleisland earlier this year. ©Photograph: John Reidy 12-2-2015

Fine Gael TD, Brendan Griffin, has received confirmation from the Minister of State with responsibility for school transport, Damien English, that an additional school bus has been sanctioned for students from the Castleisland area who are attending Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí in Tralee.
Since the beginning of the new school year, six students had been left without a seat on the existing 53-seat bus, meaning that they had to be privately driven to school every day, with some students having to be driven from as far away as Scartaglin.
Local County Councillor, Bobby O’Connell, raised the issue with Deputy Griffin, who in turn raised the matter with Bus Éireann and Minister English. The additional bus has now been sanctioned, meaning that every student will have a seat on a bus from this week.
Both Cllr. O’Connell and Deputy Griffin have welcomed the provision of the additional bus.
Deputy Griffin said that the new bus will also give greater flexibility to Bus Éireann’s timetabling, allowing for an earlier return to Castleisland in the evening time for the students.