Sir,– I am the former principal of St Thomas’s school in Coolock, Dublin, once a targeted education initiative for teenage Travellers.
In May 1999 our teenage Traveller students were preparing for their Junior Cert exams. We had a new building opened by Mary Robinson in 1996 and student numbers had never been so high. Suddenly our school bus became unrepairable. Our student population came from isolated sites far away from any public transport and many had already been out of school. Where would we get a new bus from? How would they get to school? The Department of Education (almost) covered running costs only. We badly needed a benefactor! We were sent an angel!
We had seen Sinéad O’Connor on the Late Late Show and our young girls wrote to the Late Late show addressing it to her. Within a few days Sinéad rang to say she would raffle her grand piano to fund the bus. A few days later a cheque arrived for £20,000 from Sinéad, and our crisis was averted!
On June 15th, 1999, Sinéad spent most of the day with our students in Coolock.
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While Sinéad sang Nothing Compares To You, our local Franciscan priest Fr Benignus gazed in awe and amazement through the window. We were all mesmerised!
Thanks to Sinéad ensuring they could get to school, our students completed their Junior Cert exams in 1999 and went on to have success in the Leaving Cert in the years to come. Her intervention meant that Traveller students could see the benefit of education. They were sent an angel to light their path and guide them. – Yours, etc,
BERNADETTE McCLOSKEY,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.