'I worry for him': Boy, 11, injured in Dublin school stabbing discharged from hospital

Stephen Geraghty and his son Mason. 

The father of an 11-year-old boy who was stabbed by another pupil at a school in Dublin last week has said the child has been discharged from hospital and is at home recovering.

Mason Geraghty was injured by another child at the school in Finglas, North Dublin, on March 4.

He was rushed to hospital after the attack, which was partly seen by his 10-year-old brother who was in the school playground at the time.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, his father, Stephen, said his son was discharged from Temple Street hospital on Monday.

“He is doing well. He’s at home with me,” he explained. “It’s the aftermath and his mental health now that we have to focus on.

“I worry for him, and what his next phase of recovery will be. 

"It’s the mental trauma that is my biggest concern now, but he is doing well, and we went out to Howth for a walk this week after he got out of hospital.”

The father of three also said he has taken his children out of the school as a result of last week’s incident.

“I’ve two younger sons and I’ve taken them all out of the school now. They are not going back," he said. 

“I am not happy with how any of this has been dealt with. We have changed schools." 

They are all affected, and they couldn’t have remained in the school. There is too much trauma associated with it all, it’s an incident like no other. I’ve never heard of a child being stabbed in a school like that.

Mason was rushed to Temple Street Hospital for emergency surgery after the stabbing. 

Mr Geraghty said the knife missed one of his son’s arteries “by a couple of centimetres”. 

He said he is “deeply concerned” that no one will be held accountable for the stabbing because the age of criminality in Ireland, which apart from murder and serious sexual crimes, is 12 years.

Mr Geraghty also said he has “yet to hear from anyone in authority” over his son’s injuries, and that he feels very let down by the State.

“It’s a week now and nobody has contacted me,” he said. “I heard from one TD, Paul Donnelly.

"I feel very let down. I’m doing my best as a father of three and nobody has made contact with me about this very serious incident and that makes it all worse, on top of what Mason and my family are going through.

He recalled the horror he felt when he received a phone call last Tuesday saying he needed to come to the school urgently.

“I was told there was an incident, they didn’t say what it was as it would probably be difficult to drive there.

“They said it was serious, and an ambulance was on the way.

“When I got to the school there was a fire brigade and Garda cars. I couldn’t believe it. Mason had already gone to the hospital by ambulance, so I then had to drive into Temple Street.

“I was so flabbergasted by the entire thing. I'm not sure if we have taken it all in yet.

"I received WhatsApp messages from the school and that’s really it. It’s changed our world and turned us upside down”.

In a statement, gardaí said they “will continue to engage with all relevant State agencies regarding this incident”. 

The Department of Education and Department of Justice, as well as the school and Tulsa have all been contacted by the Irish Examiner.