Dungiven Irish-medium college gets approval from minister

The number of pupils being taught through Irish has almost doubled in the last 10 years to just under 5,000

Northern Ireland's education minister has approved a development proposal to allow an Irish-medium post-primary college in County Londonderry.

The college will be based at Owenbeg in Dungiven. There are 29 Irish-medium schools in Northern Ireland but only one of them is post-primary.

Minister John O'Dowd said he made his decision after careful consideration.

He said his department "has a statutory duty to encourage and facilitate the provision of Irish-medium education".

"I recognise there is a demand for post-primary education through the medium of Irish", he said.

"I believe that Coláiste Dhoire is capable of delivering a high quality education for the benefit all young people in Dungiven and the surrounding areas.

"I wish everyone involved with the project well for the future."