New school funded by local entrepreneur [educationmatters.ie]
- Published: 04 February 2011
Former teacher and e-learning multimillionaire Pat McDonagh gave €7m towards a new building for Rolestown National School, Swords, Co Dublin.
Tom Kelleher, principal of Rolestown NS, explained that they were "in dire need of a building and he [Pat McDonagh] simply said, 'If you organise it, I'll pay for it'".
The existing school was "falling apart", with serious heating and lighting issues and a lack of space, Mr Kelleher said.
Pat McDonagh is one of the founders of the Riverdeep educational technology firm and is currently chairman of the Third Force e-learning company.
He owned the site on which the school was built, and the deal - which saw him give €7m and the Department give €4m - involved a series of land swaps and agreements involving Mr McDonagh, the Catholic Church, Fingal County Council and the Department of Education.
Full Story: www.educationmatters.ie
