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Carn principal to meet rally
officials
24.06.10
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Rally “may have
distracted” students
AN Inishowen school principal said he fears students
sitting their Leaving Cert exam may have been
distracted by the noise of last week’s Donegal
International Rally.
Paul Fiorentini, principal of Carndonagh Community
School, raised his concerns with rally officials as
competition cars and their supporters roared past
his roadside school for nearly two hours on Friday.
Around 30 students were sitting the Leaving Cert
Design and Graphics paper at the time while younger
pupils were taking the Junior Cert Home Economics
paper.
Mr Fiorentini said he was mindful of the tragedy
that befell the rally the following day and would
adopt a “wait-and-see” approach.
“We have not received any formal complaints from
parents so far, so hopefully the students may not
have been too badly disrupted,” said Mr Fiorentini. |
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“However, for some
time, the noise from the cars was considerable and
consistent.”
Mr Fiorentini said he was fully supportive of the
international rally and the boost it brought to the
area.
However, when rally officials first contacted him
during the organising of the sporting event, he was
given assurances that the cars would not pass the
school on their way to the staging points. An
alternative route in Carn was available to drivers
en route to Ballyliffin. After Mr Fiorentini’s
intervention, the cars stopped passing the school at
3.45pm and instead used the alternative route, via
the Derry Road, until 5pm.
Mr Fiorentini said rally organisers had “a lot on
their plates” in recent days following the tragic
death of co-driver Thomas Maguire, from Co Meath.
Mr Maguire was laid to rest yesterday, with a large
number of rally officials, supporters and
competitors from Co Donegal in attendance.
Meanwhile, Mr Fiorentini hopes to have a meeting
with the event officials in due course. A rally
spokesperson was unavailable for comment when
contacted on Tuesday. |
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