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Concerns over insufficient allocation of teaching staff at Colaiste an Chreagain in Mountbellew
Galway Bay fm newsroom – The chairperson of the GRETB has raised concerns over the Department of Education’s allocation of additional teaching staff at Colaiste an Chreagain in Mountbellew.
The allocation was made following a hard fought local campaign, after an announcement by management that the school was planning to cease its secondary school operations and change to a further education and training hub.
The GRETB group applied for 2.1 additional staff to cater for the fresh intake of first year and transition year students in September, but only secured an allocation of 1.5 additional staff.
The Chairperson of the group, Loughrea area councillor Michael Moegie Maher says the school will follow through on its committment to take in first years and transition years next term.
However he says the deficit of 0.6 teaching staff will have to be found within the available resource pool of the GRETB school network.
He has concerns that this could lead to difficulties when the school faces its standard Department audit next year.
Meanwhile, at a meeting of the GRETB on Inis Mór this week, the group made a strong call for all island schools to be designated small school status by the Department.
The schools do not have their own principal or deputy principal.
GRETB Chairperson Michael Moegie Maher says the schools encounter great difficulty in getting teachers and run at a cost 40 percent above the average.
He says the situation affects three schools in Galway’s island community and two in Donegal gaeltacht areas.
Councillor Maher says Galway Oireachtas members will be lobbied to secure small school status for the island schools.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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