High Court blocks dismissal of Kilkenny principal

THE Education Minister has been restrained by the High Court from sacking Catherine McSorley from her position of principal of Kilkenny City Vocational School on the grounds she is “unfit for office”.

Barrister Ercus Stewart SC told the court Ms McSorley, of Annamult, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny, had repeatedly been forced, often in court, to vindicate her decisions and character over the past eight years.

Ms Justice Mary Laffoy granted Ms McSorley an interim injunction against the minister and County Kilkenny Vocational Education Committee, restraining both from terminating her employment or stopping her salary and benefits from next Thursday, September 1.

In an ex-parte (in the absence of the other side) application, the judge also granted her leave to bring judicial review proceedings challenging a Ministerial Order directing her dismissal and seeking various declarations relating to her position and inquiries into her performance as principal.

Mr Stewart said that, in 2006, the then education minister, Mary Hanafin, appointed Torlach O’Connor, a retired assistant chief inspector, to carry out an inquiry into Ms McSorley’s performance as principal.

The terms of reference of the inquiry had been broadly drafted to include various allegations which had been made, many in the media, regarding the management of the school, which had been the subject of four previous investigations.

Ms Hanafin specifically ordered an investigation into the organisation and administration of the school in the area of human resource management, and the alleged failure of Ms McSorley to apply the school’s disciplinary policy, and her alleged bullying of staff members.

Mr Stewart said not one of these allegations, nor allegations of payments by Ms McSorley to students to attend the school and of alleged mismanagement of school funds, was upheld in the interim report.

Proceedings were adjourned until next month.