A distant relative of Fermoy’s founding father has lent his support to a campaign by Adair National School to save their bus service.At the start of the current school term it emerged that Bus Eireann had axed the vital service – despite a claim by the Church of Ireland school that it did fulfil Dept of Education criteria in relation to the number of pupils.
The move prompted staff and parents at the school to launch a campaign to have the service reinstated, garnering widespread support from across the local community for their stance.
Last Monday they once again took the issue to the streets of the town, holding a public protest outside the Church of Ireland.
Ironically the protest coincided with John Anderson Day, an annual celebration recalling the man who founded the town of Fermoy in the late 18th century.
His great-great-great grandson, John Anderson, has written to the school from his home in Western Australia, to lend his support.
“I am quite sure that your government knows that nothing is as important to the future recovery of the Irish economy as a well educated, younger generation,” he said.
“Hopefully they will continue the school bus service and give all pupils that live in the wider Fermoy community an equal opportunity to continue their schooling,” he added.
Adair principal Heather Smith said that without a bus service the future of the school, one of the oldest in Ireland, was under threat.
“The government have withdrawn the service, despite the fact that we have 10 children who meet the distance criteria of 3.2km from the school and despite the fact that the children come from the same distinct locality that they came from last year,” said Ms Smith.
She said the school intends to use John Anderson Day to demonstrate its displeasure with a government that “willingly presides over injustice”.
“The loss of this vital bus service will affect enrolment in the future, and the rights of parents to send their children to a school that reflects their own ethos,” she said.
“With the support of the wider community in Fermoy, and with a bit of luck, hopefully the government will recognise that a nation where minorities are obliterated is a sad reflection of a modern Ireland,” she added.