Taoiseach views plans for Cornafulla NS extension

After a tempestuous first year in charge of the country, last Thursday"s visit to Cornafulla represented a welcome change for Brian Cowen. The sun was sizzling, his audience looked happy, and there were no pesky questions about the recession. As he was leaving, several members of the crowd even began shouting: 'Up Offaly!' 'Up Cornafulla!' replied the Taoiseach. The only problem for a Fianna Fail leader gearing up for the June 5 elections was that the majority of those in his upbeat audience were many years shy of voting age. His visit to Cornafulla National School was just one stop on a busy day for Mr Cowen, who visited other parts of Roscommon as well as Leitrim and Galway East last Thursday. While at the school he examined plans for its extension - work on which is finally expected to start this summer. The project, which involves a five new classrooms, a new library, PE Hall, staff room and associated works, has been re-tendered and a builder is currently being selected. Mr Cowen planted a beech tree on the school grounds before a loudspeaker was produced and he began to address the children who had gathered outside. He stated that it was a pleasure to be at the school on such a beautiful day, and told the children to respect and obey the instructions of their teachers. 'I am conscious of the fact that the summer holidays are coming up, but if there"s an opportunity to take a few hours off in the new school year then I grant you that dispensation,' he told the pupils. Before leaving, he stopped to chat with Garda Mark Connell who was collecting money for a good cause. Mr Cowen donated €20 to the Daniel Daly Medical Fund, which was set up to support a child with leukaemia from Cloghan, Co Offaly. 'He told me that he knows the child"s family and that he was happy to help,' said Mr Connell afterwards. With that it was on to the next stop, Millar"s Lounge in Ballydangan, where Mr Cowen met with the South Roscommon Fianna Fáil organisation. His visit was the second time in the last two years that a Taoiseach came to Cornafulla NS prior to an election. On the eve of the 2007 general election, Bertie Ahern visited the school to announce that the aforementioned extension had been approved. However, the project was subsequently omitted from the Department of Education"s 2008 list of building works. It was re-tendered earlier this year and work is now likely to begin in the next few months. 'We were a little bit cynical because of what happened last time, but we"re now hoping that this Taoiseach will pull it off,' said school principal Joan Conway. 'We have been assured by Michael Finneran that nothing is going to hold up the project at this stage, and I would expect work on it to begin this summer.'