Efforts are underway to secure the future of St Patrick's Training College in Thurles.
It is one of many teacher training colleges that are earmarked for either closure or amalgamation in a report by an international panel of experts.
Minister of State Alan Kelly is confident that St Patrick's College will have a future.
He has been working with St Patrick's for some time on development a future strategy for the College.
The Directors of the College are very well aware that they cannot continue to operate in the manner they are currently. They and Alan Kelly are collectively working to see if St Patrick's can come under the remit of the Limerick Centre for Teacher Training.
For his part, Deputy Noel Coonan has contacted Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister of State Ciaran Cannon on this issue.
The college has a proud record of providing lower cost education at a time of economic difficulty, according to the deputy.
He says North Tipperary and Thurles cannot take further cutbacks at this time, and he also points out that St. Patrick's Teacher Training College in Thurles has received very little subvention from the state since its foundation in 1837.