A Dublin secondary school has undertaken not to take any further steps in a disciplinary process against one of its teachers who says she has been wrongly identified as the "GAA catfish" in a number of viral podcasts, until the matter comes back to court again in two weeks' time.
Niamh Farrell, from the Spires, Portadown in Co Armagh, says allegations that she was deceiving people online by pretending to be someone else and luring men in the GAA community into relationships are completely false, unfounded and untrue.
Last week she obtained a temporary injunction against the school where she works, Coláiste Éanna in Rathfarnham, preventing the school from continuing with disciplinary procedures against her.
Her Senior Counsel Conor Power told the court she was shocked to receive an investigation report from her principal setting out allegations against her and putting in motion a disciplinary process which could lead to her dismissal.
Ms Farrell claims the report by Seán Ó Murchú fails to comply with fair procedures and natural justice and is totally unfair.
She is head of music at the school and also teaches Irish. The court was told she had an unblemished disciplinary record and had never been the subject of any complaint about her work.
The allegations arise from a number of episodes of a podcast by The 2 Johnnies which dealt with allegations about a woman who had "catfished" people by using fictitious online identities.
When the third episode of the podcast was broadcast earlier this year, Ms Farrell's principal claims she identified herself to him as the person to whom it referred.
However, Ms Farrell says the allegations are being made online by people she did not know and she says she has always denied being the person involved in the catfishing activities.
The court heard concerns had been raised by parents at the school about Ms Farrell being named online and that there was concern about the impact of the allegations on students and staff.
Mr Power told Mr Justice Brian Cregan this morning that the matter could be adjourned for two weeks to allow the school to put in a replying affidavit in the case.
Barrister, Barra Faughnan, said the school was willing to give an undertaking in the same terms as the injunction granted last week - that it will not take any further steps in the disciplinary process and it will not interfere with the performance of Ms Farrell in her duties and responsibilities as a teacher until further order of the court.
The matter will return to court on 9 April.
