Stranded Kells students home from New York

Thirteen students, three teachers and two parents from Eureka Secondary School in Kells who were stranded in New York because of 'Superstorm Sandy' have made it home to Ireland. The Eureka students had travelled to New York to take part in the world finals of the Empire Mock Courtroom Trials competition along with their teachers Principal Caroline O'Reilly, Gabrielle Moran and Ronan Fahy, and parents Eileen Cunniffe and Lorraine Parry. The group was due to depart from Newark Airport on 29th October but the arrival of Superstorm Sandy saw their flight cancelled. At that stage, they were told that they would not be able to get another flight until 9th November and this was then revised to 6th November. After spending many hours on the phone making frantic calls to seek alternative flights, Ms O'Reilly got the good news that they were booked on a flight yesterday (Wednesday) evening with their original airline and they arrived back in Dublin early on Thursday morning. Ms O'Reilly said she was very conscious they had all the children with them and that they were separated from their parents for longer than expected, as she tried to get them home as soon as possible. Because of the severe weather, they had to stay in their hotel- the Marriott Brooklyn- for safety. Despite getting the fantastic news that they were booked on a flight home, the drama did not end there as there was still the journey to the airport to contend with, with gridlock throughout the city. But thankfully, they made their flight and arrived back in Dublin early this morning.