Frozen protest as school plans ‘put on ice’

The theme of the protest was taken from the Disney hit animation Frozen — and its emphasis was on a promise which many believe has been put on ice.

The last time pupils, teachers, and parents in Fermoy, Co Cork, held a protest in about the failure to deliver a new school in the town, they took to the streets in their hundreds.

Yesterday’s protest was a little more sedate and, thanks to wedding planner Franc (aka Peter Kelly), it had a seasonal feel to it.

He choreographed a snow machine, personalised crystals, some dramatic face-painting and sheets of ice-effect glass to create a spectacle which was hoped would melt the hearts of local bureaucrats and make them speed up the delivery of a replacement school for Gaelscoil de hÍde, Fermoy.

Peter, who has two children attending the school, said he wanted “to do something to keep the campaign going”.

“In many ways we feel the process of delivering our new school is frozen in time,” said Vivienne Dempsey, the new school action group chairwoman.

She said that, three years ago to the day, the Department of Education had told the board of management that it was in line for a new school.

“They expressed the belief that it should be open by September 2014,” said Ms Dempsey. “Today, not alone do we not have a new school, but the site for the proposed development is not even secured by the department.”

The 410 pupils of the existing school are having to deal with cramped, archaic conditions and can’t even run around the playground at break time because a prefabricated classroom has just been put into it.

Principal Sean McGearrailt said they were initially told the school would open in 2014, then 2015, and now that, all going well, it might be in place by 2016.

“This is simply not good enough and we want this process to start moving again,” he said.

“At the moment, it’s frozen in time and it’s the children who are suffering.”

However, the recently arisen matter of the freshwater pearl mussel could delay matters further.

The mollusc is protected by the EU and surveys have been ordered along the River Blackwater to see how abundant it is there.

This could lead to a ban on development in the area, including the promised new 700-pupil school, until water quality is improved.

“We have had enough concerns up to now and any other possible impediment is naturally worrying,” said Mr McGearrailt.

“We just want to see it built for the sake of the children and built quickly.”