Government Backstabs Historic Carlow College, Forces Winding Down as Activists Assemble
"We don’t want a handout, we don’t want to be made redundant, we want to work": 244-year-old Carlow College's staff, students, and supporters rail against the Government’s last-minute decision to shut college, cut jobs, and deprive local communities.
Staff, students, and supporters have begun a movement against the unexpected winding down of Carlow College, St Patrick’s, following an announcement on Tuesday 19 May that the college is to cease operations in 2028.
The announcement specified that all 87 staff members of the College will be phased out over the next two years, and that no new students will be accepted for the 2026/27 academic year. The 17 acres that make up the College’s campus – said to be worth anywhere from 20 to 90 million euro – are to be transferred to the South East Technological University (SETU), which is presently under no obligation to uphold the College’s educational mission, employ its staff, or respect the integrity of its historic campus.
This has come as an unpleasant shock to those who know and love the College, who were long given the impression that it would continue to operate as a constituent of SETU.
Founded in 1782 by the then-joint Bishops of Kildare and Leighlin, Carlow College played a key role in the Catholic Emancipation and today produces a significant number of social workers, healthcare workers, and educators. It is also the only humanities institution in the southeast of Ireland, meaning its closure will deprive many local students of an accessible and affordable higher education.
In a speech on Sunday 14 June, staff member Dr James Heaney spoke on the College’s original intentions for this process and how they have been obscured by the Government. In 2022, the financially troubled Carlow College offered to transition to public ownership under two conditions: that the educational mission as set out in the trustees’ original constitution be preserved, and that staff would keep their jobs, whether through SETU or another public institution. Dr Heaney then contrasted this agreement with the recent announcement and the “gaslighting” comments of Minister James Lawless in Dáil Éireann, where he falsely claimed that the College requested and needed Government intervention.
The demonstration at which Dr Heaney spoke was preceded by a People Before Profit–Solidarity rally in support of the community two days earlier on Friday 12 June. Councillor Adrienne Wallace hosted the event at the Seven Oaks Hotel, which has itself been put up for sale. The day after the rally, Minister Lawless agreed to meet with a Carlovian delegation to discuss staff redundancy.
Complementing these physical actions is an online campaign started by Diarmuid Commins, a local student at Carlow College. He has been posting on the campaign YouTube channel and has initiated a petition demanding accountability and the protection of staff, student, and community interests.
