A new £1.5 million education centre designed to assist in the teaching of Irish is to be set up in Co Cork by the Department of Education and Science.
The new centre on a 2.5-acre site at Colaiste Iosagain in Baile Bhuirne is expected to open in the summer of 2001. It will facilitate research, provide materials for the teaching of Irish and undertake teacher-training.
The Minister for Education, Dr Michael Woods, who turned the sod on the site yesterday, said it was "one of the most significant developments in the history of Irish-language education". He pointed out that it would provide services to people from all sectors of education.
Dr Woods said the centre would use the most advanced information technology available and would operate on an all-Ireland basis. The provision of video conferencing facilities would enable teachers to access many of the services at a distance, the Department said.
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