PRESSURE is mounting on
Government transport officials to sort out a dispute
that proposes to see children from Urris, Clonmany,
sent over a treacherous mountain pass to get to
school.
Local politicians have been making ongoing
representations on behalf of the affected families.
Meanwhile, an Urris-born senior academic, Jimmy
Donaghey, challenged Minister for Education, Jan
O'Sullivan to travel the road to see first-hand its
unsuitability as a school transport route.
Mr Donaghey, who is professor of Industrial
Relations at the University of Warwick in England,
penned a strongly-worded letter to Ms O'Sullivan.
He also forwarded his letter to a number of local
press outlets including Inishowen News.
The former Carndonagh Community School student
reminded the minister that Urris parents are being
given the choice of paying up to €650 to send their
children to Carndonagh Community School or
alternatively send their children to school in
Buncrana using the "treacherous" Mamore Gap.
"The route is completely inappropriate for bussing
students to school - one side of the Gap is a
corkscrew route, the other side is a 2km, steep
gradient drop, only passable by cars going one way
at a time," he said.
"Many natives of Urris never use the road due to its
nature. Are you prepared to risk the safety of
school children going over a mountain road like this
during winter? If an accident occurs, will you be
willing to take responsibility for the welfare of
these students? If this route is not used, then
Carndonagh is much closer than Buncrana," Prof
Donaghey wrote in his letter.
Meanwhile, Deputy Pádraig MacLochlainn said he had
raised the issue for weeks with senior Department of
Education officials "to no avail".
He said the department could not simply "pass the
buck" on the issue to Bus Eireann.
"I am astounded that weeks after this matter was
brought to my attention by parents in Urris and
following representations from all of the local TDs,
that the Government have not sorted this shambles
out. I have offered that the local TDs along with
parents from Urris will drive from Urris over Mamore
Gap to Owenirk on the other side and back over
again. And then ask the Minister or senior
Department official present to look us in the eye
and stand over this decision," he added.
To read Prof Donaghey's letter in full,
click here . |
