Celebrations as North Mon gets reprieve from closure

The first day of spring sunshine marked celebrations at a northside school in Cork City, days after a reprieve from possible closure. The 170 boys — along with teachers and parents — of Scoil Mhuire Fatima took their party outdoors at lunchtime on Friday as they marked victory in their campaign against its planned closure.

It was proposed that the school at the North Monastery would be amalgamated with St Vincent’s primary school at the convent across the road next September, in a plan from school trustees that shocked the community when first reported in the Irish Examiner nearly a month ago.

However, overwhelming support for the campaign of opposition, driven by parents of Scoil Mhuire Fatima, forced the Edmund Rice Schools Trust to say last Monday that the proposal is being withdrawn.

Although there is caution about the school trustees’ statement that it will be talking to the owners of the other local schools about future talks on falling enrolments in the area, Friday was a chance to celebrate.

Elaine Healy’s son Adam is in sixth class but she has three younger boys she hopes will also attend the North Mon primary.

“They were all aware what was going on the last few weeks, especially the young fellas who were looking forward to following in their older brother’s footsteps. It would have been devastating if it went ahead,” she said.

Fifth-class pupils James Drummond and Cian McCarthy said they were happy not to be moving into the girls’ school, and look forward to continued use of the sports facilities — the potential loss of which was among the main issues raised by opponents of the move.

They included the entire membership of Cork City Council, who backed a motion calling on ERST to shelve its plans a week before this week’s news.

Parents’ association chairwoman Maria Higgins said the level of public support had surprised them.