The Spirit of Garbally group said this week that it was deeply disappointed by the decision of Clonfert College Board of Management not to provide for the heritage and sporting legacy of Garbally College in the new amalgamated institution.
The group said that the decision to rule out the proposal to include “Garbally” in the new school name - and allow its teams to continue to play under the Garbally name - was a missed opportunity.
The Spirit of Garbally group was established in April to campaign to have the heritage and sporting traditions of the school incorporated into the new Clonfert College – an amalgamation of Garbally and the girls’ secondary school, Ard Scoil Mhuire, in Ballinasloe.
Spokesman Jack Murray said this is deeply disappointing as they had outlined their vision for a sports for all campus at the amalgamated school in Garbally to both a sub-committee of the Board of Management and as recently as last Thursday to the Bishop of Clonfert and Galway, Michael Duignan.
“We have put an enormous amount of effort into generating what we see as a positive input from Garbally past pupils which would have involved a programme of providing sports funding for the new school down the line.
“We always recognised that the new school was an amalgamation and there had to be a new name but are surprised that the Board of Management effectively has cast aside a legacy dating back to 1923 in refusing to entertain any mention of Garbally, even though the new school is located at Garbally Park.
“In our vision document, we said the new school can be a leader in developing Ireland’s healthiest and most active second level institution. By building on the rich heritage and traditions of Garbally and Ard Scoil Mhuire, the new co-ed school can be the gold standard in its pursuit of excellence, both on and off the field,” said Mr Murray.
“With the support of Garbally’s extended network of past pupils, the new Garbally sports campus can be a centre of sports for all, embracing a variety of games, activities and interests.
“We stressed at our meetings with the Board of Management sub-committee and Bishop Duignan that, at a time when it is increasingly challenging to engage with a wider alumni in secondary schools, the Spirit of Garbally had managed to access a network of former pupils in a very short space of time who were keen to assist the new school,” he continued.
“We believe serious questions remain about the extent of the consultation process for the new school. In particular how deeply the heritage of both schools was considered in the naming process. To any reasonable assessment, the process was too short and nowhere near detailed enough for two institutions with over two hundred years of history between them.
“We are very grateful to Bishop Duignan for facilitating a meeting last Thursday which was positive, productive and cordial. We also acknowledge and thank the sub-committee of Clonfert College Board of Management for making time to meet with us.
“We wish all involved in the new school every success when it opens its doors in September,” concluded Mr Murray.
