Enda Does Greystones

It’s not everyday that someone from Mayo is allowed into Greystones, but today, the red carpet was rolled out for the man at the driving wheel of the country, Enda Kenny.

The weather was kind, and the atmosphere was, of course, jovial and celebratory, as the Taoiseach came to smash the bottle of champagne on the side of Temple Carraig School.

The faithful were there, of course, including young Mr Harris and the not-quite-so-young Mr Doyle, alongside almost 400 students, the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael ”Off The Wall’ Jackson, and chairman of the board of management at Temple Carraig, Garrett Fennell.

Being a dirty big Irish gathering, there were also sandwiches, Miwadi (both flavours) and Mikado biscuits aplenty.

Oh, and a small band of merry Irish Water protesters outside.

The first Church of Ireland secondary school in the voluntary model to be established in the country, Temple Carraig is unique in that, although it is run by a minority faith, it is for the whole community in the Greystones and Delgany area. Only 20% of the students are from a Church of Ireland background.

Established in 2012, the school first opened its doors to pupils in September 2014, in temporary accommodation, before the present school building was finally completed in December 2015. “This is a beautiful building,” said Kenny, “but it’s just a building. It is the pupils, their parents and teachers, and the staff that make it an educational facility. All of you will make your mark. There is nothing that can hold you back if you believe in what you want.”

For his part, the school’s chairman, Garrett Fennell, addressed the diversity in Temple Carraig, stating, “Much of the current debate around patronage in Irish education is very polarised and fails to recognise that diversity and tolerance comes in many shapes and ways. Indeed, schools under Church of Ireland patronage have been models for inclusive multi-denominational education for decades.”

That Enda has relatives in the town might have helped get the big man to our small town, of course, and it may also explain why he stayed on for almost two hours at the school.

All told, there were plenty of smiles and firm handshakes, and not a Malcolm Tucker in plain sight, as everyone seemed to enjoy Enda’s Grand Day Out to Greystones. Even the bored-looking schoolkids.