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.

The secondary school there hasn’t the facilities to cater for children with additional needs, so they are having to travel to Dungarvan, Cork City, and Carrignavar, which Ms Linehan-Foley described as "totally unacceptable".

She 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.

The situation has become more acute as the secondary school in Carrigtwohill, which used to take some of the children, is now overcapacity.

“There’s no specialised unit in the secondary school in Youghal and no plans for one,” Ms Linehan-Foley said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern said there are children close to finishing their primary school education in Youghal who don’t know where they will be going in September.

“An inclusive education facility is needed for East Cork. This can’t be delayed any longer,” she said.

Fine Gael councillor Sinead Sheppard teaches dance to two children currently stuck in limbo.

“Their parents are so stressed with worry that they don’t know that they have a place yet, it is absolutely disgusting. It should be a basic right for every child,” she said.

Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry, who lives in Carrigtwohill, said the secondary school there will no longer be able to help.

Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Mulcahy, who is a member of the board of the Cork Education and Training Board, said 30% of students that attend St John's Special School in Dungarvan are from the Youghal catchment area, while many other Youghal students have to also travel to Carrigaline and Carrignavar. The latter is a 120km round trip.

Ms Linehan-Foley said the campaign group were trying everything to get the matter resolved.

She said she would personally intervene if required to try and facilitate a meeting between its members and Mr Moynihan, who lives in North Cork.

“They have done all their homework and have all the statistics. They would have no problem travelling absolutely anywhere to meet him. I would also facilitate a meeting between them in my office (on County Hall) if that would help," Ms Linehan-Foley said.