Changing school patronage: Pragmatism in action not secularism

Over half a million children — 544,696 — are expected in primary schools over the coming days. In Kerry, 14 of those will make a small but important piece of history tomorrow. Their school will be one of three rural schools to transfer from Catholic patronage.

Scoil an Ghleanna, a Gaeltacht school overlooking Sceilg Mhichíl, reopens as a State-run Community National School (CNS) under the auspices of the Kerry Education and Training Board. That change is designed to secure the school’s future. One third of Scoil an Ghleanna pupils are not Catholic so the change is driven by pragmatism, demographics and a determination to survive rather than secularism.