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Minister of State Anne Rabbitte received a very warm welcome on her visit to St. Gabriel’s School & Centre and was welcomed by Máire O’ Leary, CEO Minister of State Anne Rabbitte received a very warm welcome on her visit to St. Gabriel’s School & Centre and was welcomed by Máire O’ Leary, CEO

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Minister of State Anne Rabbitte visits St. Gabriels in honour of 60th anniversary

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Minister of State Anne Rabbitte received a very warm welcome on her visit to St. Gabriel’s School & Centre and was welcomed by Máire O’ Leary, CEO 

Minister of State Anne Rabbitte visits St. Gabriels in honour of 60th anniversary

The Minister had a tour of St. Gabriel’s facilities which included the hydrotherapy pool and orthotics department

The Minister had a tour of St. Gabriel’s facilities which included the hydrotherapy pool and orthotics department

On Tuesday, June 29, Minister of State Anne Rabbitte received a very warm welcome on her visit to St. Gabriel’s School & Centre. The Minister was welcomed by Máire O’ Leary, CEO and was accompanied by a number of local political representatives.


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The Minister was in the region visiting some of the voluntary organisations.

During an extensive tour of St. Gabriel’s facilities which included the hydrotherapy pool, orthotics department and in St. Gabriel’s School she met several staff and she chatted to several students during the walk about.

The Minister’s visit followed a recent announcement of €1.1million funding to open a new regional respite service at St. Gabriel’s Children’s Respite House for children with significant physical disabilities and the most complex medical needs.

St. Gabriel’s provides a range of specialist services and therapeutic interventions for over 850 children with disabilities from the Midwest. 65 children with disabilities attend a special school onsite.

This year St. Gabriel’s will commemorate its 60th year anniversary (1961-2021) It was first established by the Crabtree family in St. Joseph Street. Over the years it has continued to support children with disabilities and their families. In more recent years the organisation has expanded its services and facilities beyond a school and centre and now includes services for adults in the community. A series of events to mark the 60th year anniversary are planned for the year ahead.

About St. Gabriel’s 

St. Gabriel’s School is a special needs primary and post-primary day school, one of only five such schools in Ireland. St Gabriel’s school and centre is a primary and post-primary school for children aged 4-18 with multiple physical/sensory disabilities and/or developmental delay and more life-limiting conditions. St. Gabriel’s Treehouse School Age Team provides services for children of school-going age. 

Up to 500 children and young adults from birth to 18 years with a range of disabilities living in the Midwest region attend St. Gabriel’s Early Intervention and School Age multidisciplinary clinical teams which was set up in 2005. St. Gabriel’s Treehouse Early Intervention Team at Dooradoyle deliver a range of services to children with disabilities from birth to six years of age. They present a range of conditions which include cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, epilepsy, and other neurological conditions. 

These teams include Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy. The clinical teams provide assessments and interventions for children attending services in St. Gabriel’s Centre, at the child’s home and pre-school, primary and secondary school settings. St. Gabriel’s work with families to support children to reach their developmental milestones through a combination of individualised programmes, group work and training. Examples of some of the programmes delivered to parents and families are Hannen, Incredible Years, More Than Words, Talkability, Sibling Workshops, Youth Club for teenagers with ASD. These training and advice programmes support parents to assist their child’s development.

For more information on St Gabriel’s School go HERE 

For more stories on St Gabriel’s School go HERE 

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