Dictionary Translation: Campaign – campaign; Active review – active review; Child – child; In her arms – in her possession; Located – situated; Shameful – disgraceful; Failure – failure; Awarded – gifted; Identified demographic demand – acknowledged population requirement; Denying – refusing; In the pipeline – under preparation; Scandalous – outrageous.
“We’ve had enough of being left outside of the Parliament.”
“We’ve been standing here this past week advocating for housing rights in the Gaeltacht and today, we’re back again due to yet another unfulfilled promise made by this Government”, says Paula Melvin, president of Conradh na Gaeilge. Standing outside of Leinster House last week with her adopted child in her possession, she was surrounded by a group of children from the southern city schools of Dublin.
These children were representing five Gaelscoileanna situated in Dublin’s districts 2, 4, 6, and 8, flagging the Government’s failure to meet their obligations, reflected in a ‘fail’ grade.
“The current administrating party, Fianna Fáil, and this Government have repeatedly pledged to boost the number of Irish-speaking schools but have disgracefully failed to actualise this. It’s outrageous that we are forced to be present here”, she expresses.
The call for Gaelic-medium secondary education in the Dublin areas numbered 2, 4, 6 and 8, has been a long-standing one. Children from the Synge Primary School, Gaelscoil Eoin, Gaelscoil Inse Chór, Gaelscoil Lios na nÓg, and Scoil Bhríde have repeatedly visited Leinster House, wanting their requirements to be met.
“This marks our fifth protest of this kind before Parliament, and we still lack a school,” remarks Cormac Chambers, headmaster of Lios na nÓg, a Gaelscoil situated in Ranelagh.
“Minister Foley continues to stay in office without deciding about the gaelcholáiste.”
“He continues to resort to former arguments about secondary schools that are positioned completely outside the area without filling to capacity completely”, he adds.
The Department of Education maintains that new educational institutions will be set up if a population requirement is acknowledged in a region, but suitable provisions are currently accessible in nearby areas, Rathfarnham and Stillorgan.
The spokesperson for the department foresees that the existent school spaces in the Gaelcholáistí will suffice to fulfil demands in the short term. However, as the new primary schools in the locale develop and the count of sixth class students increases, an active review of the scenario is deemed necessary. Creating additional space at the Gaelcholáistí in Rathfarnham and Stillorgan further presents a pertinent issue.
Post-primary school patrons also have the option to get in touch with the Department to discuss the initiation of an Irish-medium unit within an already in operation post-primary school. Schools, too, can approach the Department to probe a switch from English to Irish-medium education.
Despite these measures, campaigners argue that the two mentioned locations are distantly placed. With a populace of 200,000 and above 40 English-medium secondary schools, they contend that provisions for Irish-medium education should be appropriately made. The controversial model of units administered by an English parent institution, despite not sharing similar interests always, finds its mention by the Department.
They assert that these units conveniently adhere to the department’s demographic conditions and have displayed a demand. A recent assessment showing interest by over 520 students to join a Gaelcholáiste locally reinforces this demand.
Chambers expressed the campaign’s enthusiasm backed by local and national politicians within and outside the community. Post their interaction with the combined Dáil committee and considerable effort in the campaign, a desirable outcome is yet to be realised.
In the meantime, the Department of Education is developing policies related to Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht. The department’s spokesperson referred to reports aggregated by Sealbhú, the learning and teaching research centre for Irish, situated in Dublin City University, during this process. Proposals by Sealbhú have been welcomed by the Irish-speaking community, showing promise for it to precede the new policy. Albeit the policy’s longer than expected arrival has ruffled feathers, coupled with postponements due to general election talks, it is believed that the revised Education policy will roll out in a few weeks.
The lack of action from the government on implementing educational and housing policies for Gaeltacht communities is continuing to fuel frustration. The President of Conradh na Gaeilge expressed her displeasure, branding it as shameful and reflecting government apathy. She recounted instances of politicians failing to attend scheduled meetings, indicating their lack of prioritisation for these issues.
Despite promises to roll out planning guidelines for Gaeltacht and establish more Irish medium schools, the government appears to be falling short. Their lack of fulfilment of these pledges is a cause of further grievance. Despite apparent understanding from politicians about the problems facing Gaeltacht, effective action appears to be lacking.
While policies may look promising on paper, such as the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language and the Programme for Government, a tangible plan for comprehensive Irish education from pre-school to tertiary level is still missing, according to campaigners. They argue that the Irish-speaking community is being deprived of consistent education provision.
Despite over a century of Irish language teaching since the state’s formation, campaigners question the absence of a formal policy and the necessity of children appearing before the Dáil seeking fundamental rights. Highlighting the gap in provision for Irish-speaking students, the lack of a Gaelcholáiste is identified as both an affront and hurdle for students passionate about retaining their language.
Cormac Chambers acknowledged the significant challenges facing the language, despite ongoing efforts to address them. He expressed his belief that improvements are unlikely without dedicated state efforts to promote the language, starting with Irish-medium schooling.
He contended that when communities are forced to fight for their native language and the government erects significant barriers to language revival, it instills a belief that the country’s official stance does not fully support the Irish language. Chambers believes that this sentiment is widely shared, particularly among Gaeltacht constituents and parents aspiring to raise their children speaking Irish.