Transparency, Fairness and Public Consultation in the Closure and Transfer of Carlow College

On 19th May, the staff and students of St. Patrick’s College in Carlow, along with the wider community, were devastated to hear of the planned closure of Carlow College. While the merger with SETU had been known about for years, the plans presented had been that Patrick’s would continue as a Humanities campus, and staff would be retained or transferred. What transpired was a hard pivot from this, SETU was gifted a prime property location estimated at around 20 million Euros and little to nothing was given in return. Staff have been given little consideration in this process. There has been no consultation as to what should happen with the grounds of Carlow College, the heart of Carlow town and its cultural life for 250 years.

This petition is a call to action which hopes to galvanise both the college and the wider Carlow community in drawing attention to and getting answers to the following issues:

1.      The unfavourable terms staff were terminated with; promises were made that Patrick’s would continue as a going concern under SETU 

2.      The loss of a Humanities college in the Southeast with no consultation

3.      The hard and unexplained pivot from the plan of Patrick’s continuing as a Humanities campus under SETU to its closure and the lack of transparency around it

4.      Ensure that there is public consultation over the future use of the grounds of St. Patrick’s.

Contact: [email protected]
Please visit https://www.youtube.com/@carlowcollegeclosure for updates.