Youghal children travel up to 120km to get appropriate support due to lack of special school unit, councillors told

The mayor of Co Cork, Mary Linehan-Foley, said a group of parents, known as Bridging the Gap Youghal, have been campaigning to get the issue resolved, but as yet to no avail

Children with additional needs are having to travel to Dungarvan, Cork City, and Carrignavar, which Ms Linehan-Foley described as 'totally unacceptable'.

The lack of a special unit in a secondary school in East Cork means some children with additional needs are having to travel more than 120km daily from Youghal to get appropriate education.

The senior and junior education ministers, Hildegarde Naughton and Michael Moynihan, and the HSE are being called on by Cork County Council to address the situation as a matter of urgency after the mayor of Co Cork, Mary Linehan-Foley, got unanimous cross-party support when she highlighted the situation in her hometown of Youghal.