Parents battling against Cork school closure will take campaign to streets

Parents fighting to prevent the closure of a historic Cork school are taking their campaign on to the streets.

The people behind the Save the North Monastery primary school appealed last night for people to join them at a public rally in the city centre on Saturday, when they will march from the Grand Parade at 2pm.

The call follows unanimous backing of city councillors for their campaign, and after Education Minister Ruairi Quinn was urged in the Dáil to consider the matter carefully if it comes to him for final approval.

Cork City Council’s position following an hour-long debate on Monday night ramps up pressure on the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) to scrap its proposal to close the boys school and amalgamate it with a nearby convent school. The controversial proposal is part of a wider restructuring of primary education in the area put forward by the trustees of three northside primary schools just over two weeks ago.

The ERST has suggested closing the North Mon, where numbers have dropped by around 80 to 170 since 2007, and amalgamating it with the St Vincent’s Convent primary school across the road under the trusteeship of the Religious Sisters of Charity.

It is also proposed that the expanding Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, which is satisfied with its current accommodation in nearby Farraneferris, would move to the vacated North Mon site and from diocesan trusteeship under the ERST.

At the same time, North Presentation primary would, on a phased basis, become a mixed-gender school through to sixth class.

Several parents were in City Hall’s public gallery on Monday where a motion from Sinn Féin Cllr Tom Gould, a North Mon primary past pupil and a board member at Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, calling on the ERST to reverse its proposal, received unanimous cross-party backing.

Cllr Joe O’Callaghan (FG) said school patron Bishop John Buckley would play a key role over the coming weeks. “I have huge faith that he will play a pivotal part in ensuring the North Mon continues as it has done. He won’t be found wanting,” he said.

But in the Dáil yesterday, SF education spokesperson and local TD Jonathan O’Brien said he believes the bishop will come under considerable pressure to go along with the trustees’ plan, and that it will ultimately land on Mr Quinn’s desk and become a political issue.

“I think everyone within the school in North Monastery doesn’t want this to be a political issue, they want a decision based on the facts.

“I trust when it does land on your desk you would have a proper look at it,” he told the minister.

Mr Quinn has had no formal communication about the proposals, but said he understands the issue is to do with falling pupil numbers in the area, and he is aware of ongoing local discussions.

“In so far as we at the department can be of help and assistance in those discussions, our services are available,” he said.