One of the most famous agricultural colleges in the country is being forced to close because of declining student numbers.
Rockwell Agricultural College in Tipperary has announced that it will not be taking in any students this month as there are not sustainable numbers to keep the college open.
The college, which was run by the Holy Ghost Fathers, has been training agricultural students since the early 1970s. At its peak 120 students a year studied at Rockwell. This year it is understood fewer than 20 students applied to the college.
A spokesperson for Teagasc, which helps run the courses at Rockwell, said the number of students going into agricultural colleges around the country has stabilised over the past two years following a reduction in previous years.
The spokesperson added that the students who applied to study in Rockwell this year would be accommodated in other colleges and negotiations had begun on the redeployment of teachers.
