WATCH: Staff and students get first look inside Limerick secondary school's new home

A NEW era in the educational life of Limerick is underway following the opening of a new state-of-the-art school building this Thursday.

The doors of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh's new complex opened for the first time at a former Kerry Group production site in Clare Street just outside the city centre.

Established in 2006, the school had up to now been located at Sir Harry's Mall in rented premises.

But the move to a permanent home - with an investment of more than €28m by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (ETB) - will see the school ramp up its student numbers to more than 750.

It features 70 teaching spaces including five science laboratories, two home economics Rooms, an art and textiles room, technical graphics room, two construction studies rooms, technology rooms, a multimedia room, together with a PE hall, general classrooms and staff room.

There's also a range of external play areas including an astroturf playing space, ancillary and support facilities.

"It's an incredible day. We are absolutely blown away by the building we have received," said principal Kevin Ó Raghallaigh, "It's architecturally incredible. I'm just delighted for the whole school community from staff to students to everybody involved. We've been waiting quite some time, but it's worth the wait. Having everything under the one roof is just going to be incredible for us."

Prior to the school opening in 2006, there was no Irish language secondary education option for male students.

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"We are promoting the Irish language in the heart of Limerick city. We are giving both boys and girls the opportunity to continue their secondary education through Irish. We are incredibly proud of that fact and we are just going to nurture that, promote that and develop it further into the future," the principal added.

There was amazement among the students who enjoyed the chance to look at their school for the first time.

"It's like something out of a movie, isn't it? It's like an American school," said 17-year-old Lucy Pinsent from Ahane, "We have a full-on gym. Before, we had to walk miles to get to the gym. This is unreal, we're delighted to be in here."

For Clonlara lad Daithi Byrnes, 18, even having lockers back was a boost, the facilities having previously been withdrawn during Covid-19.