An Irish School for Gaeltacht Children

[takeapunt]

An Irish School for Gaeltacht Children

Is education through Irish not a basic civil right for children in our Gaeltachts? If not civil then surely constitutional?

Parents in the West Kerry Gaeltacht are facing the prospect of losing their only Irish post-primary school with little hope of accessing an education for their children in their native language within Kerry.

In spite of a unanimous decision in January 2006 by parents, trustees, teachers and outgoing principals to reaffirm Irish as the language of the new Pobalscoil, a group of 12 children (through their parents) are seeking to overturn Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne’s Irish language policy in the High Court on July 7, 2009. Four of these children are no longer in the school.

If successful, the Pobalscoil would have to offer all subjects in both Irish and English, difficult in the current economic climate.

Irish streams work in English language schools because Irish is no threat to English. Introducing an English stream in a Gaeltacht school would flood it overnight leaving the West Kerry Gaeltacht with no public secondary school through Irish.

The closest English option is 14 miles from Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, while the closest Irish option is 30 miles away in Tralee, and is currently full.

Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta are not opposed to the decision by parents to opt for an education through English, but not at the expense of our children being educated through Irish.

[amblincork]

UNfortunately this is an example of the ' tyranny of the minority' being imposed on the majority in the area that is so prevalent in Irelad today.
So didnt say so, but are so of these protesters migrants ?

[redneck]

I hope that the school (Pobalscoil CD) has good security. There has been a spate of arson attacks on Gaelscoileanna/Coláiste in West Dublin recently.
Some people have a deep rooted hatred of all things Irish, especially the Gaelic language.

[oscartango]

If I might go off on a tangent, I always found these Gaeltacht areas something of a joke.

Now don't go getting all roused and upset - let me explain :

As a young civil servant many moons ago, I availed of the facility whereby we went down to the Gaeltacht every so often to improve on the cupla focal which we never used anyway in the service.

The locals made a packet out of this lark, what with grants, scholarships, rents, shopping, drink etc. On these occasions they would all be speaking the oul Gaeilge to beat the band.

Then I had other reasons to be visiting Gaeltacht areas and not being in any official capacity I would hear the locals blathering away in English - especially where monetary transactions were concerned. It all seemed a bit like a Poor Mouth scam at times.

Now, I'm not having a go at genuine Irish speakers. Good luck to them and certainly uphold their constitutional rights and so on. And of course the Gaelic language must be preserved and indeed encouraged.

Yet I can't rid myself of this nagging doubt that for many it's just lip service and a bit of an oul scam.

Right, now ye can tear into me.

[JCSkinner]

I hope that the school (Pobalscoil CD) has good security. There has been a spate of arson attacks on Gaelscoileanna/Coláiste in West Dublin recently.
Some people have a deep rooted hatred of all things Irish, especially the Gaelic language.

Really?
Were no Anglophone schools attacked in the area also?
What evidence do you have that people who attacked schools are in some way motivated by an animus against Irish?

[abcd]

What's the point in the Government, the state,rl having gaeltacht areas if they can't guarantee Irish language schools for Gaeltacht children?

[Gruffalo]

What kind of a gobshyte lives in an Gaeltacht area despite being opposed to Irish language education. This shows how little respect we have for our own national language. This case would not even make it to court in another country.

[Darren Mac an Phríora]

Irish streams work in English language schools because Irish is no threat to English. Introducing an English stream in a Gaeltacht school would flood it overnight leaving the West Kerry Gaeltacht with no public secondary school through Irish.

Dingle is not a real fíor Ghaeltacht town.

I hope that the school (Pobalscoil CD) has good security. There has been a spate of arson attacks on Gaelscoileanna/Coláiste in West Dublin recently.
Some people have a deep rooted hatred of all things Irish, especially the Gaelic language.

Really...??? This sounds incredible... Any links??? I suppose not...???

Then I had other reasons to be visiting Gaeltacht areas and not being in any official capacity I would hear the locals blathering away in English - especially where monetary transactions were concerned. It all seemed a bit like a Poor Mouth scam at times.

What time of the year was it? I do think it should be widely known that in large bars in hotels etc. during the Summer (if not during all the holidays) that English is the most common language. Irish is the primary language during the rest of the year. It's mad but I've been in large bars in Gaeltachtaí during the Summer to have English spoken virtually all the time and to start saying to myself "This is bogey" only to go to the neighbouring small pub full of locals where they are all speaking primarily in Irish.

[redneck]

Read the Clondalkin Echo this week, court jailed a young arsonist for attack on Lucan Gaelscoil. Cóláiste Cillian in Clondalkin was attacked by a former pupil recently also. Children in Gaelscoil Cámoige in Cluain Dolcain have to make do with Prefab buildings, which are very very dilapadated.

[Dasayev]

UNfortunately this is an example of the ' tyranny of the minority' being imposed on the majority in the area that is so prevalent in Irelad today.
So didnt say so, but are so of these protesters migrants ?

This court case is being taken primarily by foreigners.

Action over school's all-Irish policy - The Irish Times - Wed, Jul 08, 2009

The 12 children include four Irish while the remainder are British, American, German, Russian, French, Swiss and Estonian nationals.

If they want an English language school then they should set one up themselves.