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Keith Heneghan

'Abandoned, remote and neglected': This is the school Educate Together don't want to use

Educate Together says the school is not suitable as it is too far from the town.

EDUCATE TOGETHER HAS deferred the opening of a primary school in Castlebar, Co Mayo.

The multi-denominational school was due to open next week but has refused to do so, saying the location is too remote.

Educate Together made the announcement yesterday in a statement.

“It is with deep regret that Educate Together announces that Castlebar Educate Together National School will not open this September.”

All 16 primary schools in Castlebar town are Catholic and the school building was handed over to Educate Together by the Catholic Church.

The school has strongly criticised the Department of Education describing the building offered as “abandoned, remote and neglected with inadequate sanitary arrangements, heating and space”.

The school in question is 8km from the town, the statement added.

“It is unconscionable to demand that anxious parents of vulnerable four- and five-year-olds travel over 45 minutes to their first school that is neither warm nor welcoming.”

Educate Together said it is calling on the Department “to demonstrate its commitment to provide real and viable choice in divestment areas”.

However, the Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan called the decision to defer “a misplaced effort to apportion blame”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Educate Together Regional Development Officer for Ireland West, Jarlath Munnelly, said he contests that Educate Together accepted the site for the school:

I contest that. We accepted a school in Castlebar… but we always expressed our concerns about it.

“We agreed to explore this building with the Department … but at no point did we, in writing, accept and say that we thought this was a good option.”

Read: Joy for locals as second teacher found for school on Aran Island>

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    Mute Niall Carson
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:17 PM

    Where is the rest of the story? Is that it? There was more information in the
    Sub heading than in the few paragraphs below.

    148
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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:21 PM

    Hi Niall,
    If you click on the slideshow, each slide has a caption that explains a different point. Can you see the slideshow?
    If not, let us know what device you are viewing it on. It’s working on desktop and I’ve just checked it on iOs
    and Android and it seems fine there too?

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    Mute Niall Carson
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:45 PM

    I’m still getting used to this new media way of viewing information! Sorry guys thanks

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jun 10th 2013, 9:45 AM

    No problem!

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    Mute OU812
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    Jun 8th 2013, 12:29 PM

    Ummm… What’s it got to do with the Internet? It’s about a pirate TV channel. These were pretty common place all across the US in the 70s & 80s.

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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Jun 8th 2013, 12:37 PM

    It was an absolute SHITE film then and now!! [
    Apart from Debbie Harry that is]. Its one of those films you can take whatever meanings you want to out of it or none at all.I took from it that whoever wrote it was on drugs when he wrote the script.

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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:57 PM

    Very weak connections considering the movie focuses on the cathode ray tube being mystical. The addiction and effects are based on a scientist experimental beams.
    Not exactly predictions to anything.

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    Mute Dessie Edmunds
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    Jun 8th 2013, 2:44 PM

    Scanners. Cronebergs masterpiece. Eastern Promises underated too

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:54 PM

    cronenberg is a body horror master, crash, the fly, rabid, scanners etc,etc.
    I have loved his recent progression to more drama like material like eastern promise, history of violence & a dangerous method. didn’t like cosmopolis

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:55 PM

    history of violence was fantastic too!

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    Mute Kevin Cooney
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:32 PM

    Debbie Harry yes yes and yes! The movie was terrible.

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    Mute Christian Carley
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    Jun 8th 2013, 5:34 PM

    Long live the new flesh!

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    Mute Declan Carr
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:24 PM

    Might be a Sh1t movie but a hell of a lot better then any Iris made Movie. and I wonder where internet comes into play it this story.
    I will read over it and over it never know it might be in there somewhere in hidden files.

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    Mute Michelle Philpot
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:46 PM

    Better than The Snapper? To name but one!

    It’s medication time Declan, open wide and swallow.

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    Mute Tony Le Blanc
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    Jun 8th 2013, 3:17 PM

    I think you’ll find Michelle he said ‘Iris made’ One can only assume he was referring to East German filmmaker Iris Gusner

    Furthermore: could we all stop talking about the Snapper please? Yes, its just about better than Videodrome but then a documentary about whale sh*te would be too.

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    Mute Michelle Philpot
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    Jun 8th 2013, 3:41 PM

    Tony la plonk

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:50 PM

    declan, exactly what is your problem with Irish movies????
    you have yet to give any reasons, so stop trolling!!!

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    Mute Tony Le Blanc
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    Jun 8th 2013, 9:44 PM

    @ Michelle: snappy comeback

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    Mute Brant Blog
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    Jun 8th 2013, 7:09 PM

    There’s hardly any link between Videodrome and the internet.

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    Mute Brendan McCormack
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:02 PM

    Brian O’Blivion. That about says it all. I expect the author of this wrote it while watching porn with his free hand.

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