Durcan’s ‘Trumpian threat’

PLANNING APPEAL Marsh House, Castlebar.


New school expected to open in another premises while objection is considered


Áine Ryan

HIS charges of Educate Together ‘elitism’, reported in The Mayo News last week, may have led to heated debate across the national airwaves, but despite Cllr Frank Durcan’s objections Castlebar’s first Educate Together school will open in temporary premises in a town centre location in September.     
An Educate Together spokesman has confirmed to The Mayo News that the organisation had anticipated the Independent councillor’s objection to the school and had worked with the Department of Education to ensure there was an alternative venue in place for the new school and its seven pupils.  
“We can assure the families of the incoming Junior Infant children that Castlebar Educate Together will indeed open
this September,” Luke O’Shaughnessy said.
Responding to Cllr Durcan’s claims of elitism in its system, he said: “Far from being an ‘elitist’ group, Educate Together’s ethos is based on welcoming children regardless of their social, cultural or religious background and teaching them in a way that minimises discrimination.
“Contrary to Cllr Durcan’s false assertions, Educate Together’s equality-based schools serve some of the most diverse communities in Ireland. The proportion of Educate Together schools that are either in or qualify for the disadvantaged school scheme is greater than the national average, as is their provision for children with special needs.”
Last week The Mayo News revealed that Cllr Durcan had appealed to An Bord PleanΡla a decision by Mayo County Council to facilitate the opening of the school in Marsh House, the former premises of Castlebar Town Council. He has cited 19 objections in his appeal for the change of use of the protected structure.
In the list of objections to the planning appeals board, Cllr Durcan claims the granting of planning permission contravenes numerous sections of the town plan. He claims the there is not enough land around the school, that there are public rights of way through the grounds that should have been extinguished first. He cites a number of health and safety issues relating to a fire hazard and the fact that it was erected during the 16th century.

Marsh House
A proposal to lease Marsh House was ratified, subject to amendments, by Castlebar Municipal District last month and subsequently rubber-stamped by the county council.  Councillors in the district, with the exception of Cllr Durcan, had agreed to lease the building to Educate Together for four years and nine months at a rent of €20,000 per annum.
At the district meeting, Cllr Durcan said that since the foundation of the State the Irish educational system had espoused a system of inclusivity.  He said: “Our country and our town have a very proven history of ‘an educate together system’ since the foundation of the State where children of all nationalities, irrespective of their creed, colour, or sexual orientation, were respected.
“I don’t understand that an elitist group or any other minority group should expect the taxpayers and people of Ireland to provide schools, teachers and facilities for small minority groups; it is not done in most if not all of our other European countries. I’m sincerely of the belief that children who play together outside of school hours, should be educated together,” Cllr Durcan told the July meeting.
He continued: “I’m informed there is more than ample space in our existing schools in our town to facilitate the number of children mentioned. It may cause redundancies of teachers in other well respected schools in our town.”
“We’re changing the culture of this country. We maintained our Irish language, we’ve maintained a lot of our traditions, but this new educational system is going to interfere with the whole culture that we have enjoyed in this country since the foundation of the State,” Durcan added.

Durcan's ‘Trumpian threat’
ONE Castlebar parent who is considering sending his two children to the new Educate Together school in the future compared Cllr Durcan’s claim that the Educate Together system would ‘interfere with the whole culture of this country’ to a ‘Trumpian threat’.
Noel Campbell said he was ‘disappointed to see objections to the Castlebar Educate Together school’ have been lodged with An Bord PleanΡla’, but added that he was ‘not one bit surprised to see who the objector is’.
“Though Cllr Frank Durcan’s objections technically relate to the school’s proposed location, he has made it clear he objects to the multidenominational school in any location. He has insulted families hoping to use the school by calling them an ‘elitist group’ because they simply want a choice in how their children are educated. They want choice in an area in which there is no alternative school but 16 Catholic primary schools. That is an unhealthy statistic for an increasingly diverse town such as Castlebar,” said Mr Campbell, who was a Sinn Féin town councillor for a time.   
“A survey of Castlebar parents was undertaken in 2012 and found that there was a demand for an Educate Together school in the community. All other Castlebar councillors support the establishment of the school and the Government is committed to progressing the development of Educate Together schools that will reflect modern Ireland. The Independent councillor stands almost alone in his objections, but not in a martyr-like way he would like to be thought as. His stance is one of intolerance. Intolerance for anything other than his own beliefs. It is because of his intolerance that he fears something as harmless as choice. Who could possibly fear choice?,” he continued.
Adding: “Vive la différence!”