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A TEACHING UNION has called for plans to convert a Dublin secondary school to a Gaelcholáiste to be “paused and stopped”.
Plans to convert Synge Street CBS in Dublin 8 to a Gaelcholáiste will go ahead in September 2026, despite the vast majority of the school’s staff being against the move.
In September 2026, there will be another intake of students taught through English, as well as an intake of students taught through Gaeilge.
However, these students learning through Gaeilge will be “accommodated in another building on the campus for their first year” in order to allow for “total immersion in Gaeilge”.
Synge Street CBS is under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice School Trust (ERST), a network of over 90 schools in the Republic of Ireland which were formally under the trusteeship of the Christian Brothers.
In a statement yesterday, the ERST said it has met with the school’s board of management and staff and noted that “staff are understandably disappointed with and feel disrespected by the lack of consultation in the change of status process”.
The plans were announced in September 2024, following growing demand in the area for an Irish-language school.
However, teachers were only informed of the decision the day before it was announced publicly.
Since then, school staff – along with the Association of Secondary School Teachers (ASTI) – have campaigned for the plans to be put on hold.
According to the ASTI, 91% of staff at Synge Street said they were not in favour of the transition to a Gaelcholáiste.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Diarmaid de Paor, deputy general secretary of the ASTI, called for the move to be halted.
De Paor said the “biggest problem” is the way the proposed change has been handled.
He added that teachers “have been kept in the dark for the whole process, as has the rest of the school community”.
De Paor said his understanding is that the board of management at the school asked the ERST to examine the feasibility of becoming a Gaelcholáiste.
However, de Paor said that the ERST instead took this as a “request to move it to a Gaelcholáiste and went to the Department and started the ball in motion”.
De Paor said members want the move to be “paused, stopped, brought back to the beginning and done properly”.
He added that staff want other alternatives to be examined also, such as becoming co-educational or amalamating with other schools.
“These teachers have been, without any consultation, basically told their lives are being turned upside down and they’ll either have to find another school or upskill to Irish,” said de Paor.
He added that while no one is objecting to the idea of a Gaelcholáiste, the issue is with how it has been communicated.
“They still haven’t talked to the parents and the way the staff has been treated is shameful,” said de Paor.
He added that there is “a lot of hurt and anger” and that teachers want other options to be explored.
“They are looking to be part of the process; it is inconceivable that they have been totally excluded from the process.
“We are saying push it back a year, see if there are other options, and make sure people are part of the process and not totally excluded from it.”
Meanwhile, Jen Cummins, education spokesperson for the Social Democrats, also criticised the lack of communication with parents.
She said that while the move was initially welcomed, further discussions with parents have “highlighted significant ongoing issues”.
“Many parents have complained they were not directly informed by the Department of Education and instead learned of the developments through secondary sources,” said Cummins.
She noted that politicians were informed before many families.
Cummins said further concerns have been expressed about the “proposal to separate the two school communities”, as those learning through Gaeilge will be taught in a different building on campus.
Cummins said this approach “could be problematic and may not be the right direction for fostering an inclusive educational environment”.
She added that a “successful transition should prioritise integration”.
Cummins called on the Department to “proactively communicate with all stakeholders to ensure transparency and inclusivity in decision-making”.
“A transparent process would ensure that all children – regardless of background, ability, or preferred language of education – have access to a supportive learning environment.”
Elsewhere, Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh remarked that it’s a “pity” that the Department “damaged the confidence of teachers and staff” by not consulting them beforehand.
He called for Education Minister Helen McEntee to meet with the working group of the Gaelcholáiste without delay to reach an agreement.
Ain’t the media great to give these protests wall to wall coverage…
@Derek Durkin: Goddamn media reporting the news, despicable if you ask me.
@Diarmuid Hunt: yeah because that’s how the media works yeah….not too bright are we
@Derek Durkin: I didn’t say they weren’t selective. Nice ad hominem though.
If you choose to chain or glue yourself to objects, you should be left to protest unaided for 24 hours or at least until you toilet yourself.
@Mick Byrne: Do you really give a **** about what you claim to believe in?
@Mick Byrne: You’re only giving them ideas! Dirty protests are not unheard of in this country…
@Mick Byrne: And to ask what toilets do they use or do they tow mobile toilets with them.
Bunch of hypocrites should be all arrested
@Jim O Brien – TechBuzz Ireland: Arrested for protesting? Are you sure about that?
@Shakka1244: they’re breaching the peace so they can be arrested, there is nothing peaceful about pushing through a barricade and chaining yourself to a gate also it’s worth noting that assembly near or at the dail can be controlled or shut down under article 40 of the Constitution. At this stage their numbers are dwindling and they’re getting desperate for media attention, this little stunt just proves it. Sure their little March through Penneys on Mary street completely backfired, there was killings on Twitter because they came across as elitist and snobby.
@Peej: I think you’ll find that many could see that they weren’t elitist or snobby, more highlighting the abhorrent working conditions of the sweatshops used to fund the functioning capitalists who sell such items by mass production, shops like Penney’s capitalize on the detachment of works who are often as young as 12 brought from urban areas to big cities to be exploited for the good of the western consumer, whilst the big chains relish in the reward,.
Get in those lads the council employed . Seemed to work a dream
Arrest them all already. Waste of tax payers money. Right to free protest has long since passed
@Gareth Murran: Are you saying that anyone that protests should be immediately arrested? Since when did we become North Korea?
@Shakka1244: if XR on their manifesto are encouraging civil disobedience and not protests, by its very nature, their intention is to be arrested!! There is a difference between cd and protest.
@Jennifer Hampson: Yep, civil disobedience pretty much guarantees time in custody. It depends on whether enough people think the cause is worth it & if enough do, change will soon follow. Time will tell if they keep it up but if the climate keeps getting worse, it’ll only go one way.
I thought it already was an open house if you were in the know!!!!!!
Ruined a great event for the general public. And now the hippies will wonder why they ain’t getting support? Plant a hemp tree somewhere and smoke it when it finally is big enough.
TD are the one making the issue of carbon with this tax to handle the public deficit . Twenty per cent of that national debt made up of a deal made by a minister with IMF ad EU never laid before the Dail .
When did a minister get authority to treat his deal as law of land without consnet of Dail and Oireachtas ie legislation making deal part of law
and
How can TD vote on estiamte if the Dail has no control over what in kitty to spend whihc it does not until that deal laid beofe it by min?
Commission can serve notice on ireland to reduce that deficit (64.8 per cent in excess of the 60 per cent threshold under the Fiscal Compact Treaty per ntma report at end of 18 with loan of 44 billion from eu and uk ) as an DEBTOR to EU ??
TD complaining about not enuf spend are only putting us into deeper debt and only DAIL can change situation by TD having minister LAY that EU/IMF deal before the dail that will reduce deficit until DAIL approves terms by voting thru legislation making it part of law of state. Term that public spending complies with deficit rule but also public funds will cap bank cos share value fall cos of ECB policit we have no control over.
Minister have to acknowledge a debt cos min signed loan agreement .
But TD seem to want to have cake and eat it want to complain about govt , overspending or underspending but not taking control of the fund but seem to have no problem voting thru these estimate . Think it will carry on until voter tell local TD .. hey why isnt that deal before Dail? We elect U to be responsible for whats in kitty to spend not minister ?
have your say