A former principal of Scoil Éinde has insisted it never had ‘feeder status’ with Coláiste Éinde – despite claims to the contrary by a Local Election candidate.

Michael Gallagher, ex-principal of the primary school on Dr Mannix Road in Salthill, wrote to six councillors in City West last Friday to set the record straight and to counter what he called “blatant lies” and “misinformation” spread during the election campaign.

Mr Gallagher’s intervention came in response to a press release issued by Councillor Peter Keane (FF) in early May, in which he called for the “restoration” and “reinstatement” of Scoil Éinde as a feeder school for the Threadneedle Road secondary school.

Councillor Keane claimed in an article in the Galway City Tribune that he was seeking to “reverse the changes made a decade ago, which have since disrupted traditional educational pathways and have adversely affected local families”.

As well as writing to Minister Norma Foley, Councillor Keane wrote to Bishop Michael Duignan, in which he repeated the claim. “As you are aware, Scoil Éinde was previously deemed a feeder school for Coláiste Éinde with the Admissions Policy for Coláiste Éinde reflecting this through the inclusion of the Parish of Salthill as a determining factor,” Cllr Keane told Bishop Duignan.

The claims were repeated at a public meeting organised by Councillor Keane, and in election literature.

But Michael Gallagher, former principal of Scoil Éinde, said he was “utterly appalled and astounded” by what he described as “misinformation” and “blatant lies”.

In an email to Councillor Keane last Friday, copied to all City West councillors, Mr Gallagher said: “In your literature you state that you want to ‘reinstate’ the feeder status that already existed between the two schools. I can categorically state that no feeder status ever existed.”

He asked Councillor Keane to correct the record.

In a separate email seen by the Galway City Tribune, Mr Gallagher confirmed feeder status was sought in 2009, when he and Chairperson of the Board of Management, Fr Gerry Jennings wrote to Coláiste Éinde on foot of requests from parents.

Mr Gallagher said the request was declined by the Coláiste Éinde Board of Management, and he received a phone call from the then principal of the secondary school, Siobhán Quinn, outlining why.

Pictured: Scoil Éinde: ‘Never was a feeder school for Coláiste Éinde’.