News
“It’s a victory for common sense” – Sean Coffey, Principal St Brendan’s College
By Michelle Crean
When news began to filter through about the move, Principal of St Brendan's College, Sean Coffey, said there was "an air of incredulity about it".
With 25 Ukrainian students in the school, four of them resident in the Hotel Killarney, he said that they felt they had to act on their behalf.
"We were in contact with the local councillors and local TDs, and politicians get a bad airing a lot of the time but all the politicians in this community saw the importance of community, saw how these families had integrated."
He said that the Ukrainian families have very much integrated into the local community.
"Their kids go to schools, the adults meet other adults at school events and outside the school gates and they become more quickly integrated and we'd encourage the lads to get involved in the clubs and societies in school, to get involved in the whole life of the school, to join basketball, join football or soccer or volleyball which is their big thing, and then there were just being summarily moved and it was utterly, utterly anti-community," Sean told the Killarney Advertiser.
"The staff were gutted. We have some staff who were working very closely with them and they were outraged."
He added that when he was informed that the decision was reversed he immediately made an announcement on the intercom.
"There was a huge cheer down the corridors which is lovely and it was genuine. We're delighted. It's a victory for common sense. I also hope it stabilises Ukrainian families all over the country that they're not going to be moved around the place, not just here in Killarney, not just here in this hotel, but they can link into communities and not feel that 'tomorrow we'll be shifted so why should we bother'. They've enough uncertainty in their lives."
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