Pupils deserted their classrooms and studied for a time in the open air yesterday as parents turned up the pressure in the fight for a permanent Gaelscoil in Westport, Co Mayo.
The "school around the corner", as it was dubbed by bemused onlookers, was described by frustrated parents as "a last-ditch attempt" to secure agreement for a new permanent Gaelscoil in the town.
At about 10am, the parents of 185 primary schoolchildren attending Gaelscoil na Cruaiche withdrew them from classes and took them to the Octagon about a mile away. There tables and chairs were waiting to receive the students who seemed delighted with their new outdoor environment.
Pupils and teachers carried placards in Irish and English during their march through the town. Some read: "Tír Gan Teanga, Tír Gan Anam"; "Value Our Children"; "Scoil Nua Anois" and "185 Pupils in Your Hands".
Since its establishment 10 years ago, the school has had no permanent home and is presently situated in a number of second-hand prefabs adjacent to a busy road. Last week a pupil was almost hit by a loaded logging truck turning into Westport train station opposite the school.
The sub-standard conditions of the Gaelscoil were condemned by a Health and Safety Authority report in 2004. The inspector said: "It is my opinion that the school should be relocated to a designated purpose-built building on a site appropriate to the requirements of the operation."
Chairman of the parents' committee Pat Dunne said that yesterday's protest was undertaken due to extreme frustration with Government. In 2001, then education minister Dr Michael Woods had made a commitment to the provision of a new school, which was reneged on after the general election of 2002.
"It is not an easy decision to pull children out of school like this, and it is not one which the parents have taken lightly," Mr Dunne said. "However, there is a huge level of frustration, anger and distress within the school community, given the lack of progress since 2001."
According to Mr Dunne, the fact that the lease on the current site will expire in June 2006 and will not be renewed by the owner makes the timing perfect for a commitment by Government.
"We want permanent accommodation, not additional prefabs on a new site. Already over €400,000 has been wasted on rent and prefabs since 2001," he said.
School principal Mairéad Ní Ráin said the teachers fully understood the parents' frustration with the lack of Government commitment.
The staff of Gaelscoil na Cruacihe were not directly involved in yesterday's protest.
Mayo TDs Michael Ring, Dr Jerry Cowley and Beverley Flynn attended the protest along with a contingent of town and county councillors. They all said they were committed to further highlighting the case at Government level.
There are no gym facilities in the school, which often means the cancellation of physical education classes during bad weather.