The entrance to the Department of Education premises in Cornamaddy, Athlone. 'Only European meat' served at Department of Education in AthloneThe Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton, has responded to a Dáil question about the origin of meat served in her Department's canteen in Athlone and indicated that, while not all of the meat there is Irish, it does all come from within Europe. In her reply, the Minister Naughton confirmed that "my Department operate a canteen service on our campus in Athlone," and that "the current service providers are a local company, A Slice Of Life Catering". She provided a table in her response, setting out the various origins of different types of meat used by the service provider. The Department of Education has had a premises in Athlone since the 1970s, and is one of the town's biggest employers.

Source: Irish Independent February 19, 2026 17:28 UTC