There is only two counties in the Irish state that don't have a special needs school and one of them is Monaghan. Dublin meanwhile has 47 dedicated schools for children with special needs.
These stark facts were highlighted in the Dáil recently when Monaghan TD Matt Carthy said a special school was needed in the county "as a matter of urgency". Addressing the Minister for Special Education, Hildegard Naughton, in the chamber Deputy Carthy said "If this were an isolated position some logical reason could be given, but County Monaghan is also, for example, the only county that does not have a respite service".
Speaking during statements on Special Education Matt Carthy said he had heard "whispers" that Monaghan would get the school it needs. He called on the government, in the first instance to be "upfront" about it and, secondly to give families a "specific timeframe and also to make it clear who will have access to it. "There's a vcry good special needs school in County Cavan but, the problem is it's over-subscribed," Deputy Carthy said, "and I am dealing with dozens of families in Monaghan that can't get access to it and, in some instances, children who can get access to it have to travel for hours each day on a school bus. That's not good enough. County Monaghan has the population, has the need and has the demand for it so government should deliver it as a matter of urgency."
