North Mon trustees face Dáil grilling over amalgamation plans

The trustees of a Cork city school whose management and parents oppose plans to close it are being asked to explain their proposal to TDs and senators next month.

Catholic Bishop of Cork and Ross John Buckley, patron of all-boys’ Scoil Mhuire Fatima at the North Monastery, is also to be invited to the March 12 Oireachtas education committee hearing on planned closures and amalgamations. But a spokesperson said he would be at a spring meeting of the bishops’ conference.

Although a request to approve amalgamation proposals may come to the bishop, the spokesperson said it would be inappropriate for him to interfere with religious orders or trustees in the running of their schools.