Flute teacher Hugh Rance’s €50,000 claim against the WRC over vacant teaching hours in Cork sets off a quirky legal duel. Rance, who flagged excess hours for 18 music teachers in October 2024, now contests the tribunal’s “not a whistleblower” verdict, calling it “gross mismanagement.”

After the WRC dismissed Rance’s allegations as “bare,” the Cork teacher’s appeal spotlights how 63% of his own hours went unused. Protected Disclosure Act drama meets music school funding absurdity, as a bounced email and instrument-sharing woes layer on legal discord. Picture a flute, a tribunal, and a €50,000 elephant in the recital room.

In 2024, some Cork music teachers reportedly had student vacancies for up to 70% of their contracted hours.