Category Archives: Misc

educatetogether

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From top: Glum schoolchildren from Ballinteer Educate Together (top) and one of the school’s packed classrooms.

In August 2012, Ballinteer Educate Together National School enrolled its first pupils in temporary accommodation at St. Tiernan’s Community School, Parkvale, Balally, Dundrum, Dublin 16.

While they waited for the design and approval process of a new school building to be completed.

And waited.

And waited.

Help Build Ballinteer Educate Together sez:

Today, FOUR years and 180+ pupils later our staff and kids are still in the same temporary accommodation which is now at full capacity with an ever growing waiting list for new pupils including 2 new Jr infant classes who have just started in September of this year.

The issues that have created this situation are not budgetary (full financial approval has for our new school was granted in 2012) or related to the planning of the building itself. In reality the reasons we do not have a suitable building for our school seem to be bureaucratic in nature and centre around securing planning permission for road access to the new site.

Our initial application was submitted in 2012 and as of today we are no closer to any kind of decision that will help us get our school built.

Sadly it seems that the efforts of the Dept of Education have fallen short and that very few practical steps are being taken by the Dept of Education to resolve these issues.

While the board and PTA appreciate that these processes take time, the continued absence of a solution to this problem has resulted in an unacceptable delay which is now beginning to have an adverse affect on the staff and pupils of our school.

As our school continues to grow rapidly these affects will only become more serious and its simply a matter of time before our kids educational experience begins to suffer as a result.

Sign a petition to Richard Bruton, Minister for Education here

Help Build Ballinteer Educate Together (Facebook)

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This afternoon.

Outside Leinster House on the first day of the Dáil term after the summer break.

Gardaí at the gates of the Dáil.

And members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, SIPTU and the Psychiatric Nurses Association calling for “the restoration of incremental credit for nurses and midwives who graduated between 2011 and 2015”.

Those protesting included nurses Maria Phelan, Christine Gibbons and Eimear Byrne from Kilkenny Mental Health Services (above).

Pics: Sam Boal/Rollingnews and Mick Caul (second from top)

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This afternoon.

Outside the Children’s Court in Smithfield, Dublin 7.

Paul Murphy tweetz:

The juror barred from Seanie Fitzpatrick trial speaking in support of .

Court asked to dismiss charges against teenager in Jobstown case (RTE)

Previously: ‘Juror 791’ Writes

Update:

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From yesterday’s Irish Independent

You may recall a post yesterday by Saoirse McGarrigle about the victims of paedophile Bill Kenneally – an accountant from a well-known Fianna Fáil family and basketball coach in Waterford – who want a Commission of Investigation.

They believe senior gardai, members of Fianna Fáil, members of the Catholic Church and staff at the South Eastern Health Board failed to act when told about the abuse.

Kenneally was convicted earlier this year, after victim Jason Clancy came forward in 2012, but Gardaí knew about the abuse as far back as 1985.

Kenneally’s uncle was the late TD Bill Kenneally, who died in 2009, and who was succeeded by his son Brendan Kenneally.

Brendan Kenneally was told about the abuse by a Waterford woman in 2002 but he didn’t tell gardai. Instead, he spoke to another uncle and local priest – and current chairman of the board of management at Holy Cross National School in Tramore, Co Waterford – Monsignor John Shine –  and arranged counselling for Bill Kenneally.

Brendan Kenneally did not report the matter to the gardaí.

The article by Ms McGarrigle, a broadcast journalist with South East Radio, followed a piece in the Sunday Independent by Damien Tiernan, of RTE.

Further to this, the Irish Independent yesterday ran a story about Kenneally’s victims calling for a commission of investigation with a double byline containing the names Conor Feehan and Saoirse McGarrigle – even though the newspaper didn’t print the copy McGarrigle submitted.

In addition, the article included a picture of Brendan Kenneally with the caption:

“Brendan Kenneally is reportedly no longer a Fianna Fáil member.”

Further to this…

Last night, Ms McGarrigle tweeted:

Brendan Kenneally is still a member of Fianna Fáil – in fact he’s Hon Sec of the Thomas Clarke Cumann.

There you go now.

Saoirse McGarrigle can be followed on Twitter here

Previously: Protected For 30 Years

Pic: Gemma O’Doherty

UPDATE:

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Monsignor John Shine

In today’s Irish Mirror, Ms McGarrigle reports:

Victims of paedophile Bill Kenneally are calling for a parish priest to resign as chair of a primary school board of management.

Monsignor John Shine is an uncle of Bill Kenneally and heads up the Holy Cross National School in Tramore, Co Waterford.

…Holy Cross principal John Kindlon said he could not comment on the situation as he is directly employed by the board of management which is chaired by Monsignor Shine.

Contacted by this newspaper the priest refused to discuss the issue.

He added: “No I won’t talk to you. I’m having my lunch.”

Victims of paedophile Bill Kenneally call for a parish priest to resign as chair of a primary school board of management (Irish Mirror)

Pic: Holy Cross