It seems we get asked about expanding it every few weeks so let's test the opposite proposition.
Would you support moving the Irish language to an optional subject? If so, at what level? The entire way? In secondary school? At LC level?
Would that apply to the Irish language as a whole or only certain parts? I.e. would you keep the literature studies and drop the creative writing or vice versa?
Posted Dec 11, 2022, 10:32 AM UTC
I’m definitely biased since I love the Irish language and went to a Gaelscoil and Gaelcholáiste, but I think that also means I’ve a fairly hands on experience with it.
I think the way Irish is taught in Normal schools is horrible, putting all your focus on grammar means that while yes they might have a better understanding of it they’ve no idea how to actually speak it and probably hate the language because of how fucking boring grammar is (especially for young children). I feel it would be much better if all schools taught it the same way as gaelschoils, obviously not teaching everything through Irish but teaching it conversationally instead of technically.
Beyond that I’d be alright with removing the mandatory Irish from the LC, I still feel we should definitely have it for at least JC and primary school though
The same stupid questions get asked every few days.
Make it an optional LC subject, not a mandatory one. If you're not at least semi-fluent in Irish by 15 or 16, after learning it for 10 years, I don't think an extra couple of years is gonna make much difference. Better to spend that time studying something more useful, like a science subject.
Keep it. I never liked doing it in school, but so what - I did it and now I have a few words of irish
On the flip side: if it wasn't mandatory, I wouldn't have done Irish, and wouldn't have a few words
No, it should be revamped to focus on actually using the language. But the old way of doing it (literature) should be moved to an optional subject or gotten rid of.
Absolutely
Optional after primary school. Been mandatory for about 80 years now. I would drop it in a heartbeat. Almost 40 now and it still annoys me how it interrupted subjects I was very good at. Has not served me at all
In the 80s most of the people in Ireland were of irish heritage that's changed and we are a much more multicultural country. I think that is a great thing.
The way irish is taught is school is appalling and embarrassing. It should be scrapped or optional from secondary on. The financial and opportunity cost of teaching it are too high for little reward.
Why are we forcing kids of Africa Polish Philippino Brazilian.........heritage to learn a language that is not their language let us all do something better with their time.
Further more it should not be an official government language. Every law government publication and Web site is produced in two languages but practically nobody is using the irish version. The handful that do use it could use the English version.
without hesitation would drop Irish as an exam subject but just make us learn how to speak the language
Should be optional after JC
Definitely not
Just stop making the curriculum about learning poems and literature. Focus on conversation and having people be able to use it for communication.
It's so stupid that kids are expected to write essays full of poetic language ("Tá an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch!"), rather than focusing on communication.
Day 1 in secondary school should be treated as if you have zero Irish and go from there, so that everyone is on the same footing. Currently, you're thrown in a class with people from various ability levels and it's assumed you know all the basics.