Gaelscoileanna is an organisation for parents who want their children to be educated through the Irish language.
Since the 1940s the number of schools where all subjects are taught through the medium of Irish has declined dramatically from 27% to 2%. To halt this decline, parents founded the Gaelscoileanna organisation in 1973.
Gaelscoileanna national coordinator Colm Ó Dúlacháin says at this time education through Irish was almost gone. The organisation is,
Answering a demand from parents right round the country.
Gaelscoileanna is responsible for 14 new primary schools. In 1973 there were only eight schools both primary and secondary teaching through Irish in Dublin. Eleven years later that figure has almost doubled.
Outside of Dublin the figures are more dramatic, and the numbers have almost quadrupled to 19.
The numbers are small, but the parents want Irish language schooling.
Once such parent is Seán Ó Flannabhra from Inschicore in Dublin, who is not an Irish speaker himself. However, his daughter attended the local naíonra and from there attended the newly opened primary Gaelscoil Inse Chór.
After that, we took an interest in Irish and began to learn some Irish ourselves.
Principal of Gaelscoil Inse Chór Con Ó Tuama rejects the notion that Gaelscoileanna are a middle-class fad. A Gaelscoil education has little or nothing to do with class and is all about a spirit for the culture.
The Department of Education recognises Gaelscoilenna and has granted them concessions such as smaller-than-average class numbers and free school transport.
Minister of State at the Department of Education Donal Creed dispels the argument that education through Irish could be detrimental to a child's educational progress. He believes having fluency in the Irish language is an added advantage to school leavers seeking employment.
Donal Creed is encouraged by the interest parents have in Gaelscoileanna. He mentions how, due to parental demand, Moy National School in County Clare became Scoil Iosef Naofa an all-Irish school.
Scoil Iosef Naofa principal Úna Uí Rocháin explains this change did not happen overnight and was a gradual process,
One day it was Irish enough to be recognised as an Irish school,
She believes the same could be done in any other school with the cooperation of parents and buy-in from teachers.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 29 March 1984. The reporter is Conall Ó Morain.
