Row breaks out between Kildare politicians over future plan for school

There were heated exchanges between two Kildare politicians over a plan to make two schools co-educational.

Green Party councillor Bob Quinn sought the support of  local councillors to back the proposal to provide co-educational schools at the Mercy Convent Primary School and St  Corban’s Boys National School in Naas.

At a Naas Municipal District meeting he called  for a letter to go to the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Dr Denis Nulty “offering encouragement in favour of the consultation to migrate from single sex schools to co-ed schools for both.”

Cllr Quinn said this would eliminate a lot of unnecessary journeys for parents with children in both schools “making our streets safer, less polluted and quieter every morning.”

He said the existing situation means “unnecessary journeys up and down the town five days a week.”

Cllr Seamie Moore

He said he was acting from a climate action perspective and the need to reduce carbon emissions and to make the streets safer.

“The merits of this stack up,” he said, adding that if 100 children are affected it means 200 journeys “up and down the street.”

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But independent councillor Seamie Moore said the school and church authorities should be left to sort out the problem and he said if co educational schools created more places then these would be filled by children coming into the schools and creating more journeys.

Cllr Quinn then accused Cllr Moore of paying lip service to climate change and saying some of what he has proposed is “very much in the last century.”

Cllr Moore, an octogenarian, said this was “very insulting and disgusting” and said that nobody should be engaging in ageism".

Naas Mayor Bill Clear said he is in favour because children in the Naas area are being sent across the town from where they live to attend schools. He said children for Sallins are going to Piper’s Hill.

He said the coeducational move is being held up by the diocesan bishop and “this is wrong.”

At the same time, he added, “cars are clogging up the roads.”

Four councillors - Evie Sammon, Anne Breen, Bon Quinn and Bill Clear voted in favour which means the letter will issue.

Cllr Fintan Brett said he was abstaining because he didn’t think it would be helpful. He said it would have “the opposite effect” to what was intended.

Only Cllr Moore, voted against. 

Cllr Bob Quinn

Parents with children attending the Mercy Convent Primary School in Naas have criticised the delay in making the school co-educational.

They have already voted in favour of the move and the consultation process has been ongoing since 2022. 

However, the school authorities say there will be no change until at least the start of the 2025-26 school year - because numerous factors need to be considered and some of these were raised by parents themselves.

MCPS has 540 pupils and currently takes boys only for junior and senior infants at which point they must then leave for another school, generally St Corban’s Boys National School (which has 504 pupils), and co-ed status would mean they could continue with their primary education through to sixth class.