Students at Dundalk Grammar School plead with school board to add Gaelic games to list of sports played in the school.
Hundreds of students took part in a protest both inside and outside the Dundalk Grammar School on Monday morning as part of a campaign to try and get the school to allow them to play Gaelic games in the school. Students wore Gaelic jerseys and held placards asking the school to give reasons why there is no gaelic games played in the Grammar.
In a letter to the school’s board of management students asked for answers as to why newly introduced sports such as basketball and cricket didn’t have to go through the same rigorous approval process to be played as Gaelic football is currently. They also asked the question, ‘Is Gaelic football banned in Dundalk Grammar School and if so why?’
Gaelic football has previously been played in the school many years ago but has been off the agenda for decades much to the annoyance of a number of students in the school. Indeed, a petition handed into the board of management was signed by over 400 students asking for Gaelic to be re-introduced.
Sixth year student Jack Stokes who plays gaelic football with St Kevin’s in Dunleer knows it is to late for him to play gaelic in the school but he said he was joining the protest to help ensure future generations could play the national game should they so choose.
“I play GAA with my local club and lots of my friends do as well and it is a bit disheartening when they get to play inter schools competitions like the Lennon Cup and we don’t get to play against them. The three main pillars of sport in the school are Cricket, Hockey and Soccer but there isn’t even a boys senior hockey team and I think it’s obvious that gaelic football would attract a lot of interest. There are plenty of girls and boys playing gaa for their local clubs so I can’t understand why the board won’t allow us play. This has been an issue throughout my whole time in the school and although I played other sports and enjoyed my time here it would have been better had they allowed gaelic football be played here,” stated Jack.
Many of the students who attended the protest praised the headmaster Jonathan Graham for allowing them to protest and also said that a number of teachers and parents had been very supportive with regards to them trying to get gaelic introduced. Instead, most of the ire was pointed towards the school board. Before the protest local Sinn Fein TD Ruairí O Murchú met with the school’s headmaster Jonathan Graham describing the meeting as ‘constructive’.
The Sinn Féin TD said: ‘The meeting with Mr Graham was a follow up on outstanding issues that we had agreed to discuss, but top of the agenda was the GAA games issue and the fact that there is a huge number of kids at Dundalk Grammar School who wish to play Gaelic football.
‘It was a very constructive meeting. My belief if that there should be a further, very serious conversation with the Board of Governors at Dundalk Grammar School, particularly given the depth of feeling there is.
‘You can see that from the huge number of people at the protest today, which actually only included the senior classes. It was very well organised in an inclusive and positive way and the school deserves credit for allowing it to happen.
‘It showed a decent way of democracy in action. But we need to find a solution to this issue, given the depth of feeling from staff and students, and we want to see this resolved,’ stated O Murchú.
Louth GAA Chairman Sean McClean revelaed to the Dundalk Leader on Tuesday morning that he also had positive talks with Mr Graham and that he had contacted Monaghan County Board to ask if they could supply 100 tickets to Grammar students who wanted to attend the game between Louth and Meath in Inniskeen this Saturday.
“Between ourselves and Monaghan County Board we have organised for 100 tickets to be provided to Grammar School students for the game between Louth and Meath this Saturday. The gesture was received very well by the headmaster and we had a very constructive conversation where I offered to give the school any support they might need to help get gaelic games up and running in the school. We will sit down again and have more conversations in relation to what exactly those supports would entail but I would say the talks so far have been positive,” stated the Louth County Board Chairman.
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