Irish Language
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

The Department of education recently published two sister documents outlining the Government's vision for the future of Irish-language education in our schools. The action plan for Irish in English-medium schools, plean gnímh don Ghaeilge i scoileanna meán-Bhéarla, and the policy for Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht, Polasaí don Oideachas Lán Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. If I said these documents were met with disappointment in both education and Irish-language circles, that would imply they had been expecting something better and more concrete. However, I would not say that they were met with resignation because there is a determination within these communities to seize upon a momentum and the groundswell of popular support that we are seeing, go háirithe i measc daoine óga, for our native language. They are looking to us for real ambition and for genuine and sustained support for the Irish language in our education system. I am not at all sure if they will find that in these documents. To be straight and honest, I found them both to be toothless. There are plenty of laudable ideas, many of which I would support, but no timelines, n concrete metrics or deliverables and no great accountability. Tá an plean agus polasaí seo mantach agus gan amlínte, spriocanna intomhaiste ná mórán freagrachtaí.
I will focus on three key areas. First is around teacher competency in the Irish language. The action plan for Irish in English-medium schools notes:
The language proficiency and pedagogical skill of the teacher, together with the willingness to use the language, are key factors in effective language teaching and the promotion of language use among learners.
It goes on to acknowledge that:
Teachers and school leaders, particularly at primary level, frequently highlighted the confidence and proficiency of teachers and student teachers in Irish as a key area of concern.
The INTO, in its statement on the publication of these documents, emphasised that:
... the vast majority of primary teachers are committed to the Irish language. ... The issue is not the passion or willingness but a sustained lack of Departmental support to enable teachers to realise their ambition to improve their own Irish language skills. Teachers need a support system from Government that matches their commitment.
Second, and connected, is the issue of aligning the Irish-language curriculum to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR. This approach would bring much-needed flexibility in terms of tailoring learning objectives to students with special needs and students who arrive late to our education system and to help address the issue of exemptions within the system. I would argue that this is important not just to the leaving certificate but also to embed it as a basis for lifelong learning, for setting out the pathway for those many people who, like me, would like to return to the language in later life. The commitment contained in the programme for Government is repeated here but the language is vague and non-committal. Dar le Conradh na Gaeilge, ba chóir go mbunófar coiste saineolaíoch láithreach bonn leis an gcóras nua seo a fhorbairt. Faraor, níl na spriocanna seo san áireamh sa phlean gnímh nua. The expertise is there. At this point, we just need to get on with it.
What is sadly lacking here is a vision for real ambition. For any roadmap to be useful we have to begin with the destination in mind. Breis agus 100 bliain ó bunaíodh an Stát, níl ach 6% de dhaltaí ag fáil a gcuid oideachais trí Ghaeilge. Níl aon sprioc intomhaiste ná uaillmhianach leagtha amach chun líon na ndaltaí i scoileanna Gaeilge a mhéadú go suntasach. If we want to see what real ambition looks like, we need to only look over the water to Wales. Mar a dúirt uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, is mór an difear idir é seo agus cás na Breataine Bige. Tá plean ag Rialtas na Breataine Bige céatadán na ndaltaí i scoileanna Breatnaise a mhéadú ó 23% go 40% faoi 2050. Tá uaillmhian ag an Rialtas ansin an aidhm sin a bhaint amach.
There are many lessons for all of us to take from the recent presidential election, but one aspect that struck me strongly was the ról lárnach agus dearfach a bhí ag an nGaeilge sa toghchán sin. The Minister of State can afford to be brave and ambitious. If he does drive on, he will find that there are many people ready to come with him.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:27+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11