Eileen Flynn

In 1982 Eileen Flynn

Eileen Flynn

Eileen Flynn was a teacher in New Ross, County Wexford who was sacked for being pregnant while unmarried.Eileen Flynn taught English and history at the Holy Faith Convent in New Ross. In August 1982 she was dismissed from her post...

, a teacher, was sacked from her teaching post for being pregnant while unmarried.

Dunboyne Controversy

In 2002, Tomás Ó Dulaing, the headmaster of Gaelscoil

Gaelscoil

A gaelscoil is an Irish-medium primary school in Ireland, of a sort found outside the traditionally Irish-speaking regions, especially in urban areas....

 Thúlach na nÓg in Dunboyne

Dunboyne

Dunboyne is a town in County Meath in Ireland. For the most part, it is a dormitory town for the city of Dublin.-Location:Dunboyne is centred on the crossroads formed by the R156 regional road and the old Maynooth Road ....

, County Meath

County Meath

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

 was dismissed after a controversy over religious education in the school. The school is interdenominational, with education in both Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 and Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

 faiths. Tomás Ó Dulaing arranged for religious education classes to take place outside regular school hours after consulting with parents and management, but the schools patron body objected and the board of management sacked him. He was sacked for mis-conduct following his un authorised letter sent to parents of the children, this dismissal was upheld by the labour court after he withdrew his appeal.

Balbriggan Controversy

In 2007, controversy broke when a school in Balbriggan

Balbriggan

Balbriggan is a town in the northern part of the administrative county of Fingal, within County Dublin, Ireland. The 2006 census population was 15,559 for Balbriggan and its environs.- Name :...

 was reported to have only black pupils, all Irish-born, leading to accusations of de facto segregation in the school system. Some claimed it was an unintended consequence of the school enrollment policies, others blamed the state failing to plan for growth in the area. Because of the shortage of school places, an Educate Together

Educate Together

Educate Together is an organisation in the Republic of Ireland which sets up and runs multidenominational, coeducational schools. It was founded in 1984 as a result of the Dalkey School Project to found a multidenominational primary school....

 school that was scheduled to open in 2008 was opened a year ahead of schedule.

Drogheda Controversy

During the 2009 Leaving Certificate examination, a school in Drogheda

Drogheda

Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....

 Co. Louth handed out English Paper Two instead of English Paper One. As a result the original date for English Paper Two was reset to the following Saturday with a different, contingency paper.

Protestant Schools grant controversy

See Protestant Schools grant controversy.

Leaving Certificate 2010 cheating controversy

In June 2010 a student alleged on boards.ie

Boards.ie

boards.ie is an Internet forum based in Ireland. It is considered one of the largest indigenous Irish websites online. As of July 2010, the site has 365,000 registered accounts, more than 1,300,000 threads and more than 20 million posts...

 that cheating in the Leaving Certificate

Leaving Certificate

The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...

 exams was happening in her school. The State Examinations Commission confirmed that it was investigating the allegations.

Ban of Muslim Veil

At the start of the 2010-2011 term there was controversy over an announcement that a number of Catholic run second level schools in Ireland have imposed a ban on Muslim girls covering their faces with a full veil, although head scarfs are allowed. Sikhs who attend Catholic run boys schools are allowed wear a Turban.
The opposition Labour party education spokesperson(now minister of education Ruairi Quinn

Ruairi Quinn

Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...

) had earlier called for a head scarf ban.