Mum-of-six Monica O’Connor was taken to jail this morning, after she and her husband refused to pay a fine for not sending their children to school.
The couple were fined €2000 last June by the Carlow District Court when they refused to either send their children to school, or formally register them for home schooling with the Education Welfare Board.
She and her husband Eddie O’Neill are staunch advocates of home schooling, but refuse to be assessed by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
The couple feel they have a right to educate their children without state monitoring.
"We are standing up for a principle,” Monica said during her arrest.
“We feel as if we have been in a limbo land. We believe that what is happening to us is an attack on the family. We feel the State are trying to police every way of life.”
"Our lives are being put on hold because of this since last year. We just want this to end.”
Monica was taken to Dochas Centre at Mountjoy prison this morning after a pre-arranged arrest, but was released later in the afternoon.
Both Monica and Eddie are facing 10 day jail time for not registering their children for school, five days for their son Oran, 13, and five days for Elva, 10.
The couple also have a six-year-old son, Eamonn, who has not been registered for home or outside schooling.
