News
All welcome to Two Mile School open day

By Michelle Crean
A school that goes the extra mile to bring diversity and multi-denominational education to children will hold an open day next weekend.
Two Mile Community National School will open their doors to all on Saturday, November 19 from 2-4pm.
"Two Mile CNS is reflective of the fact that Irish society is more diverse than ever and parents should have access to multi-denominational education for their children," Catherine Barry, Principal, said.
"We see ourselves very much as a school for the whole community. Whatever your belief, all children are welcome. In our school we have children of many different faiths, and others with no particular religious beliefs. Through our 'Goodness Me Goodness You' programme, we explore different perspectives, focusing on the similarities between religions while respecting the differences.
CHOICE
It's a school under the patronage of Kerry Education and Training Board where religious and non-religious backgrounds are respected and explored.
"We are providing this alternative in the Killarney area for parents who are looking for something a little different in a primary school than what has traditionally been on offer. We invite parents of children of all ages to come to visit our school, to meet the pupils, teachers and parents. We extend a particular welcome to parents of children due to start Junior Infants in September 2023."
The school provides choice to parents in the Killarney area who are looking for an alternative to the traditional model of Catholic education, welcoming children from all religious and cultural backgrounds.
It is the 'Goodness Me, Goodness You' programme that sets Two Mile CNS apart from other schools, she added.
"Through this programme, the children explore their own identities. They discuss values and ethical questions and experience lessons in children’s philosophy. The values of excellence in education, care, equality, community and respect permeate all aspects of school life."
The school delivers the National Primary School Curriculum as taught in every other primary school. However, Two Mile CNS does so in a way that fosters a warm inclusive environment with high standards of education and excellent home school links.
Aoife McBride is a parent of a child who started Junior Infants this year and reflects on the approach to education in Two Mile CNS.
"I was delighted to find a school that is multi-denominational, inclusive and forward thinking. These values are important to me and when choosing a school, I searched specifically to find an alternative. It is great that there is a school in Kerry providing an alternative education. My daughter has settled in very well and is very happy in her new school."
If you would like to enrol your child, or have any questions, please feel free to contact Catherine Barry on 086 418 3558 or email principal@twomilecns.ie.
News
Fossa School says ‘bonjour’ to French classes

Fossa National School is giving its pupils a headstart in learning a new language.
The school signed up to Language Sampler scheme as part of the ‘Say Yes to Languages’ initiative in primary schools organised by Post Primary languages Ireland in 2021. This is the school’s third year running the module.
Hélène Olivier-Courtney, the school’s French teacher and director of French For All Killarney School of French, covers ten schools in Kerry over the three terms.
The success of the initiative relies on an all-school approach and the active involvement of class teachers and management.
“The whole staff in Fossa certainly helped make this new journey a special and enjoyable experience for the children as we learnt French through art, songs, games and food tasting! This year, we also organised a catwalk on our last day. Our sixth-class students will have such a head start before secondary school and most importantly will have develop curiosity interest and love for the language,” said Hélène.
News
Opinion: Silent majority needs to stand up and call out far-right hate

By Chris Davies
Last Friday’s Dublin Riots should not have come as a surprise to anyone. It has been bubbling under the surface of Irish society for a good number of years now. The actions of a small minority last week was a culmination of years of racism, hatred and misinformation shared online by far-right groups.
Late on Friday night a disturbing WhatsApp voice note was doing the rounds on social media where a far-right actor could clearly be heard encouraging violence on the streets of Dublin.
“’Seven o’clock, be in town. Everyone bally up, tool up…Any foreigner, just kill them”
Watching the Riots unfold on social media brought me back to when I was working in Dublin a number of years back. My morning commute from Skerries to the city centre involved a dart to Connolly Station followed by a short trip on the Luas to the Jervis. Every week, without fail, I would witness at least one racial slur or attack on someone who didn’t fit the narrow minded view of what an Irish person should look, dress or talk like. I don’t know if it is the eerie silence of public transport that seems to amplify the situation, but that’s where I found it to be most common. The abuse was usually perpetrated by a group of youths or someone who was clearly under the influence of drink or drugs. The victims were always of colour, often dressed smartly enough to presume they were on their way, or coming from work. A far cry from the perpetrators who you could tell were roaming aimlessly around the city looking for trouble.
While shameful to admit, I would often look on and watch the abuse unfold, only to spend the rest of my work day thinking about the poor person who was told to “F*&K off back to your own country”. I would sit at my desk questioning why I didn’t step in and say something. There were one or two occasions where I did step in and call it out, but not nearly often enough.
This disgusting behaviour is much more visible in our cities. Since moving back to Killarney I wouldn’t witness as much direct abuse on the streets but working with the Killarney Advertiser I would be tuned in to local news and some of the comments I read on our social platforms are far worse than anything I witnessed during my time in Dublin.
There is a significant group of people in Ireland that I would call the ‘silent majority’. We are not as outspoken on issues we care about. We tend to observe and consume the news quietly, and only speak of our support or disgust on certain issues in close circles, too afraid we might offend someone. The problem with this is that we are leaving these far-right groups unchallenged, to become louder, more aggressive and more hostile as seen last week.
The past week Sinn Fein and the Social Democrats have been busy in the media expressing no confidence in Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris but I would suggest that there is a large percentage of the Irish population that bears some of the responsibility. We witness racism in our communities and online every day and we need to start speaking up and calling it out.
On the issue of immigration in Killarney, there is no doubt resources are being stretched and our tourism industry is suffering as a result of an influx of immigration. Locals have also raised concerns in relation to the placement of so many male international protection applicants in one setting and we only have to look back on the incident in Hotel Killarney last year where a number of men were involved in a harrowing stabbing incident to see how that played out.
However, being concerned around immigration is not the same as anti-immigration. It is important to raise these issues with local representatives and Kerry TD’s but also to separate ourselves from far-right groups who are only interested in encouraging violence.
The anarchy we witnessed last week should never be the answer and research shows it is completely unnecessary. Harvard University have looked at hundreds of protests over the last century, and found that non-violent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns and that it only takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure serious political change.
Let’s continue to protest peacefully for issues we believe in, but stand up and speak out against people and movements in our community that incite hate and violence.