Tis a double sided letter too with the reverse even more explosive apparently but Allison Morris hasn’t released that side yet. Maybe the fella who wrote it could throw it up here as a TFK exclusive…
Who’s Susie Grant?
She does the dictionary corner on countdown
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Black bastards
Big blow for Big Gaeilge here.
Synge Street CBS rejects Gaelcholáiste switch
Updated / Friday, 14 Feb 2025 09:10
Last September it was announced that the single-sex boys’ school would become co-educational and a Gaelcholáiste from 2026
Education Correspondent
A school that was supposed to become a Gaelcholáiste in 2026 has told the Department of Education that it will not proceed with the change, citing staff concerns which have not been addressed.
The school’s refusal to comply with the decision was communicated to the Department of Education by its patron body Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) at a meeting yesterday.
Last September, the then education minister Norma Foley announced unexpectedly that the single-sex boys’ school would become co-educational and a Gaelcholáiste from 2026.
The news, which was communicated to staff at the school just one day before the public announcement was made, took staff by surprise and they expressed anger and dismay at the plans.
Read more: Sudden announcement to switch school to Gaelcholáiste
The decision not to proceed was taken by the School’s Board of Management and was communicated to the school’s patron body the Edmund Rice Schools Trust with a request that they would inform the department.
In a letter the Board of Management said: “We will not be proceeding with the Gaelscoil enrolment for 2026”.
It continued: “In line with our usual practice, planning for student recruitment for September 2026 begins now. We will be proceeding with…our normal practice of visiting our English-speaking feeder schools and recruiting from them for September 2026.”
The decision puts Synge St CBS in direct conflict with the Department of Education.
There has been growing pressure for a Gaelscoil to be established for the wider south Dublin area in which Synge St is located and the decision to turn the school into a Gaelcholáiste was seen as a way of meeting this demand.
On Wednesday, parents and children from a number of primary Gaelscoileanna in the South Dublin area protested outside Leinster House over concerns about a lack of clarity and progress towards getting an Irish-speaking second level school.
In a statement, the Department said it “is fully supportive and remains committed to the establishment of a Gaelcholáiste in the Dublin South City Area”.
“The department is currently working with the Edmund Rice Schools Trust on the successful transition of Synge St CBS to a coeducational Gaelcholáiste on a phased basis from September 2026,” the statement said.
The Department plan is for Synge St to begin the transition with a first year Gaelcholáiste intake in 2026.
The Department said it remains committed to the establishment of a Gaelcholáiste in the Dublin South City Area
Students in other year groups will be able to ‘see out’ their education through the medium of English.
ERST met Department of Education officials yesterday and communicated the school’s refusal.
Teachers at Synge St are expected to issue a statement tomorrow via their union the ASTI backing the Board of Management decision.
They will express their deep concern regarding the proposed transition.
They will say that despite the “monumental impact” of the decision "staff and other valued members of our school community were not consulted prior to the announcement on September 11th.
“Since then, we have received no meaningful communication from either ERST or the Department of Education on how this change would be implemented or how we, as educators, would be upskilled in order to continue teaching here.”
The teachers say that in a survey 90% of them were not in favour of the transition to a Gaelcholáiste.
However, they say that close to 90% are in favour of a change to co-educational school.
"We fully respect and value the Irish language and its promotion within education and agree that there is a need for a Gaelcholáiste in the area.
"However, we believe that a transition of this scale should be guided by transparency, collaboration, and careful consideration of all children’s needs.
“As an all-boys DEIS school we are dedicated to supporting a vibrant and diverse school community, encompassing a range of nationalities, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds,” the statement will say.
Many of the staff at the school do not have the level of Irish that would be required to teach through the language or may not wish to teach through Irish.
They are concerned about their jobs and say that despite five months passing and putting questions to the department they have received no answers.
The staff concerns also centre on what they believe will be the plan’s detrimental impact on the community that they serve.
Synge St has a long and illustrious history of educating boys from across the city and beyond, but in recent decades the DEIS school has drawn students from mostly local working class or immigrant families.
“We are totally willing to adapt, including becoming co-educational, but this radical solution will displace both staff and students,” ASTI staff representative Adrian McMahon told RTÉ News.
"Our working class and immigrant families are likely to find the challenge of sending their children to a Gaelcholáiste too great. We have a hugely diverse student population.
“A large part of our student body is Muslim or they come from other immigrant backgrounds, including from war-torn countries. Some are living in direct provision. These students are the life and soul of Synge St and we give them 100%.”
In recent times Synge St has enjoyed unparalleled success at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition, with its students winning the top prize more times than any other school.
They include Aditya Joshi and Aditya Kumar, who in 2022 as 3rd year students took the top prize for their project entitled ‘A New Method of Solving the Bernoulli Quadrisection Problem’.
“We have a really motivated staff who really care for our students, but we have not been given any clarity and our voices have not been heard,” Mr McMahon said.
In the statement staff will issue today they say their "unwavering commitment is to the students and families we serve.
“We call on the Department of Education to immediately engage with staff, provide clear information, address our concerns, and outline comprehensive supports for our school community.”
In a statement, ERST said: "ERST had a productive meeting with the Department of Education today [Thursday] which covered a wide range of issues, including matters raised by various stakeholders in the school community.
“The Trust will be providing a full update on what transpired at the meeting with the department through a series of meetings with the board, staff and other stakeholders immediately after the midterm break.”
Great news.
Ivana in the back here supporting keeping Ireland monocultural at the middle class parents protest during the week:
An American preaching to Irish about culture 
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A melting pot of cultures? Enjoy your Sunday nights without the NFL anyway.
Bad news for the hipster parents of Dublin 8. They’ll have to send their children to school with poor people or stump up for a private school.
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No notice or no engagement with staff before or since the announcement in September. Seems typical of how Department of Education operated under Stormin’ Norma Foley.
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That seemed quite mad.
The introduction of Irish speaking schools will kill nfl broadcasting in Ireland
The point was more in reference to you deciding to live in a foreign country and then start dictating as to how they should treat their language.
In many parts of Europe they can filter between 3 languages… but Anglophile Tim wants to retain English only in the name of multiculturalism
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I didn’t decide anything.
Are you still pining after moving for some sun to Spain?
If i do i wont be bemoaning the Spanish for speaking their native language
It is very strange how someone so invested in the U.S. seems so ignorant of the melting pot of cultures and language there.
I guess it reflects a narrower upbringing.
A last minute dash to win votes clearly.
I speak lakota and mikmaq.
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Tȟuŋka uŋlčhiyA
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Brilliant! One of your best. ‘I know we built 10,000 less houses than i abusively Timsplained to you all for a year but… féach thall ansin!’
Fair leap there Juhy. Is Ivana a gaelgeoir?