Fire and structural flaws uncovered at three more schools
Serious fire and structural safety flaws have been uncovered at three more Celtic Tiger-era schools built by Western Building Systems as part of an ongoing urgent examination of 42 sites due to fears that lives are being put at risk.
The Department of Education confirmed one more school will only partially re-open after the Halloween break and two more will need immediate protections to remain open — bringing the total number of schools known to be affected to at least six.
Last week, Education Minister Joe McHugh confirmed an urgent structural review of all Western Building Systems properties built for the State was underway due to serious fears people’s lives are being put at risk.
Noting in one school there was an 80% chance parts of the walls would dislodge and potentially collapse in storm force winds, Mr McHugh said the structural reviews were urgently needed.
The “urgent” reviews were launched on the back of further fire safety fears detailed in still unpublished audits which are now forming part of evidence for legal cases.
The audits were launched after an October 2015 Irish Examiner expose which revealed one school, Rush and Lusk Educate Together in north Co Dublin, was warned by Dublin fire brigade and two architects reports the building would burn down in 20 minutes — far below the 60-minute evacuation time.
In a statement, the department said that, of the 42 schools in danger, 21 have been assessed to date.
Of these:
The latest school to be told it can only partially re-open after the Halloween break is Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada in Lucan, which follows Tyrrelstown Educate Together, St Luke’s National School in Tyrrelstown and Ardgillan National School — all of which are in Dublin.
Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada officials were told yesterday “an internal and external intervention is required to facilitate the re-opening of the ground floor area after the mid-term break”, a department spokesperson said.
Two other schools were also informed yesterday fences and “protective decking” must be installed around parts of the buildings before they can re-open after the mid-term break due to similar but still unstated safety fears.
They are Scoil Chaitlín Maude in Tallaght and the Castlemills Further Education Centre in Balbriggan, both of which are in Dublin.
The Department said a further “analysis” of results at nine other schools “remains ongoing”, but gave the all-clear to six other schools, namely:
