*Bishop Fintan Monahan. Photograph: John O’Neill
THE BISHOP of Killaloe, Fintan Monahan is remaining tight-lipped on the intervention of a school Board of Management in the ‘holy row’ over diocesan plans to sell off school green space for a €25m HSE community hospital.
Last week, St Flannan’s College Board of Management intervened in the row by submitting a two page letter to Clare County Council stating that it is not in favour of the 100 bed hospital being built on St Flannan’s College grounds.
In its first public statement on the matter by way of a submission to the Council on behalf of the Board of Management, School Principal Fr Ignatius McCormack stated that “the board is of course well aware of the need for a suitable site for the proposed hospital, but respectfully suggests that other suitable sites, which do not cut across existing intensive use by a large proportion of the youth of the area must be available”.
Fr McCormack went on to state that “it surely cannot be the case that the provision of proper healthcare and the provision of sporting facilities for the youth of the area must be placed in conflict.”
Fr McCormack said that the board of management “endorse the apprehension expressed by the planning authority that the scope of future expansion (of St Flannan’s College) will be curtailed by the proposed development”.
Pointing out that the playing pitches at St Flannan’s College are intensively used throughout the year, Fr McCormack stated that “the loss of a pitch is not something that can be easily absorbed without curtailing student sporting activity”.
Secretary to the Board of Management, Fr McCormack said, “A soccer pitch developed at considerable expense, and which will be lost if the development proceeds, is used on a daily basis for the playing of matches and training”.
The intervention by the College Board of Management places it at loggerheads with the Bishop Monahan who confirmed last month that the diocese intends to proceed with the land sale to facilitate the hospital development despite the opposition of teaching staff at the College.
In January, staff at the college released a statement outlining their opposition to the hospital plan and their views have been supported by the Retired Teachers of St Flannan’s College lodging a group objection to the planned hospital.
Last month, Fr Albert McDonnell on behalf of the diocese’s property arm, the St Flannan’s (Killaloe) Diocesan Trust provided a letter lodged with the Council which stated that the Trust do not intend to use the planned hospital site for the future development of the school.
Placing the diocese at odds with the St Flannan’s staff and board of Management, Fr McDonnell stated that “this area is on the periphery of the campus and in the event that the school requires expansion in the future, the Trust believes that there is ample space in the remaining lands for this to occur”.
Asked to comment on the BOM submission, Bishop Monahan stated on Wednesday, “As the matter is a live planning issue I don’t have any comment to make at this point”.
Those seeking to make submissions on the new information lodged by the HSE have until April 9th to make a submission with a decision due on April 30th.
