The Goodbye Girl

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t’s been an ugly few months at St Patrick’s National School, sparked by its principal standing up to her principles.

Like many of the parents whose kids go to the school, Eileen Jackson didn’t like the turn away from inclusivity to exclusivity that its patron, St Patrick’s Church, was taking when it came to school admissions.

And despite an overwhelming vote of no confidence in both the patron and the school’s board of management, that dark turn to exclusivity has continued. With increasing vengeance.

As the controversy went national, even making it to the Dáil floor, Canon Mungavin and his temporary, token board chairman replacement, Canon Adrienne Galligan, have merely gotten tougher in their stance. To the point that they have scuppered any chance of a mediation with those who dared to disagree with their new fundamentalist line.

And so it is that, having offered to withdraw her resignation in the ongoing effort to start a mediation process – an offer flatly refused by Mungavin & co – Ms Eileen Jackson walked out the door of St Patrick’s National School today, Thursday, October 25th, at 2pm, for the very last time.

It feels like the end point in an ugly time for St Patrick’s Church and its school. In truth, today could easily mark the beginning of a very ugly time for St Patrick’s Church and its school…