1966 – Community College, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan

A vocational School built into a sloping site; the main floor of the school is the second floor when viewed from the road. It boasted underfloor electric heating, a terrazzo cantilevered staircase, double glazed windows and drying facilities for students’ clothes as all walked or cycled to school in those days. It cost £45,000 to build and £17:000 to equip.

The architect, Sean McCann, designed several second level schools around Monaghan – St. Mary’s CBS and St. Macartan’s College both in Monaghan town. Like at Ballybay, both featured imposing cantilevered staircases as circulation spaces and lots of glazing. Since extended and refaced, the original building is still discernable. Interestingly their other schools also featured challenging topography which the architects worked with by stepping the buildings down the hillsides.

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