In a text message to his constituency members today, Tipperary North Independent TD Michael Lowry has issued an invitation to all “to attend a meeting in the Anner Hotel at 8.30 pm (24/3/2011) sharp tonight, to discuss the Moriarty report.”
Meanwhile, two members of the board of management at Borrisokane Community College have resigned in protest after it emerged that students were circulated with political letters by Tipperary North Independent TD Michael Lowry.
Letter circulated to parents via students
Mr Lowry has already defended the decision to give hundreds of letters to schoolchildren at the school, which outlined his success in securing a future new school building for the area.
Fianna Fáil councillor Jim Casey and high profile and successful community leader Rev.Canon Stephen Neill, have regrettably now both tendered their resignations from the board of management of this school.
The letters, which were given to students in Oireachtas envelopes to pass on to their parents, state that Mr Lowry played a key role in securing a new school building for this Community College.
The letter states that it was a “primary condition” of his support for the Fianna Fáil-led government.
“Using my influence . . . I ensured the community school was rapidly brought beyond the planning stage, that the project was brought to the top of the school building priority list, and that an irreversible decision was made to fund same.”
In a statement to the board on Monday last, Canon Stephen Neill stated that he felt that both the pupils of the school and the principal were victims of what a fellow board member, councillor Virginia O’Dowd, had described as ‘cute hoor‘ politics.
Canon Neill stated that if one person was to be singled out for credit for the new school building it was the principal Mr Mathew Carr, himself. He further stated that regardless of whatever leverage Mr Lowry was able to exert on the outgoing government, his actions represented “the worst of parish pump politics and is hardly something to celebrate or use children to promote.”
Canon Neill posted the full text of his statement on his high traffic blog today, stating it was with “huge regret and sadness” that he was taking this action.
The school principal Mr Mathew Carr has said that from time to time the college receives material for distribution to parents and students, and the school facilitated these requests as a matter of course, providing the material did not contain anything objectionable. Written correspondences is distributed by the school in order to protect personal data of students.
So did anyone go to this meeting? Did Michael explain himself?
I was’nt there myself, but possibly some of the press were/are. So expect some comment tomorrow.