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Modern and sustainable education campus being proposed on greenfield site for Bish.
Relocation plans to be unveiled at public information day
Bish principal John Madden with First Year students Mohammed Elrasad and Elliott Chen.
Photo: Andrew Downes, Xposure.
Press Release
St Joseph’s Patrician College ‘The Bish’ Galway, will announce details of the next chapter in the development of the school at a public information event in the Ardilaun Hotel, on Tuesday, March 28 from 1-8pm. The school welcomes anyone interested in the new school building to meet our design team and learn more about the development.
A brand new, state of the art, purpose built and sustainable complex, adjacent to the University of Galway in Dangan, awaits the Bish community as the school looks forward to this highly anticipated move.
Located in Nuns’ Island for over 160 years, the current school has served the students who have passed through its doors very well and will continue to serve our students until we move. The new school will enable the Bish to grow and develop into a fit-for-purpose education campus, providing students with the modern teaching, learning, sporting, recreation, and other facilities needed to achieve their potential.
Principal John Madden explains: “There is an objective in the current Galway City Development Plan which directly supports the construction of a new school in Dangan. This provides an opportunity for our school community which we must grasp and move forward with.
“The Department of Education has supported the approach of the trustees and board of management to relocate to a green field site and in 2021 approved the appointment of a design team who have drawn up plans for a new school at Dangan. The trustees of the Bish have reached an agreement with the University of Galway regarding the move to a greenfield site and these discussions have concluded successfully and are enabling us to move forward.”
Chairperson of the Board of Management, Kieran Kavanagh added: “This is such an exciting opportunity for our whole school community. Our new school will provide more and better space for our teachers and staff to help students learn and develop skills, explore their passions, engage in sport and recreation, and experiment with new subjects and ideas in a modern facility suited to our needs into the future. We really look forward to the move.”
Parents’ Council Chairperson, Sheila Gleeson O’Neill has also welcomed the move: “Our students need better facilities for them to grow and thrive. Bish students contribute to the cultural, political, business, and social fabric of society not only in Galway City but nationally and internationally. In order for them to continue competing with the best and realising their full potential we must ensure they have the best facilities to support their ambitions.”
The benefits of the new school include more classrooms, improved state-of-the-art facilities, recreation spaces and dedicated canteen in an almost net-zero energy building, with increased access to nature and the outdoors. For further information log onto www.bishrelocation.com
A planning application will be submitted to Galway City Council in mid-April 2023 with construction of the new school planned to commence once the necessary consents have been secured.
