Michaél Martin may not remember the day he came and made the promise, but the parents of the Galway School Project certainly do. The former education minister's commitment to finance a new building - the first for an inter-denominational school at the time - has borne fruit.
Last Friday, the 218 pupils moved into their own purpose-built premises in the suburb of Newcastle, leaving behind the cramped portacabins in which they had survived until now.
Some of the older pupils were a little emotional.
They soon forgot about that as they took in their new environment: a 1,500- sq metre building with emphasis on light and space, surrounded by courtyards for classes outside when the weather suits.
Parents and staff played a part in the design, by Conor Kelly of Simon J. Kelly and Partners, and several parents also chose the colour scheme indoors, according to the principal, Mr John Farrell.
The building has nine classrooms, a library, assembly hall, and special needs room. It also has a staff room for the eight teachers, resource teacher and the teacher of English as a second language.
The project is an Educate Together school, in that it is multi-denominational, child-centred, co-educational and democratically run.
It dates back to 1994, when it opened with 28 pupils and two teachers in "temporary" premises on the university student accommodation campus at Corrib village.
The school welcomes children of all backgrounds and persuasions and promotes the concept of learning together to live together.
Having lived together in very tight confines for the last few years, they won't know themselves now.