Foirgneamh nua ag Bunscoil i mBéal Feirste

This Monday was a big day for the pupils of Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh in West Belfast, as they left behind their old prefabricated school off the Whiterock Road and moved to a new purpose built building at the back of Ballymurphy Road.

The new school, designed by award winning architect Ciaran Mackle, replaces the old huts of the bunscoil, which first opened its doors eleven years ago to provide education through the Irish language for children from the greater Ballymurphy area.

From those humble beginnings the school now has 175 pupils and 25 naíscoil children.

As the children gathered in the old school yard, Seán Ó Muireagáin locked the old school up for the last time and the pupils, staff and parents then set off to parade along the Whiterock Road to the new school.

Many past pupils, who attend Meánscoil Feirste, Belfast's Irish medium secondary school, were also present and carried banners celebrating the growth of the Irish language in Belfast.

Among the many well wishers was the MP for the area, Gerry Adams, who chatted with some P1 children in their new classroom.