Opinion: we need a step change in relation to our vision for the Irish language in society in general - and not just in our schools
The title of this piece is likely to evoke an emotional response in many readers because of the inclusion of the word 'compulsory'. In the world in which we live today, individual free choice tends to outweigh other concerns.
To put the title in context, however, it is worth briefly recalling the circumstances of the early years of the Irish Free State. When the National School system was set up in 1831, Irish was banned from schools and there was 'compulsory' English, even for children whose home language was Irish and did not understand English.
Why Irish became compulsory in the first place
Upon independence in 1922, the Irish language was seen as an integral part of the new identity and nation building to be forged in the new Free State. Irish was given a central role in the education system with all Infant classes to be taught through the medium of Irish and this was to extend to all classes in primary school over time.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline in 2023, listeners give their opinion on the compulsory teaching of Irish in schools
By doing this, it was thought that we would educate a generation of children who would go on to become adult Irish speakers. While there was great merit in this plan, we can see with hindsight that expectations were unrealistic. Competence in a minoritised language is only a first step to increasing its use.
As expectations were not met, parents and teachers questioned the emphasis on Irish in schools. Indeed, many parents and teachers thought that teaching subjects such as maths through Irish was damaging, and the term ‘compulsory Irish’ was coined in response to these concerns.
The strong policy to revive Irish through the schools waned towards the end of the 1950s and into the 1960s to be replaced with a less clearly defined and more limited bilingual policy. This led in turn to the growth of a relatively small but dynamic movement by parents to establish Irish-medium schools, gaelscoileanna and gaelcholáistí, in the face of the weakened policy at a national level.
From RTÉ Brainstorm, debunking the hot takes around gaelscoileanna
Unrealistic expectations?
There is much research evidence to support an early start to teaching additional languages, as is the case for Irish, but only if children are exposed to lots of input in the additional language. In the absence of extensive exposure (as happens in a gaelscoil), there is limited benefit to an early start.
It is worth noting that a 13-year-old post-primary student will make more rapid progress in learning a language than a 5-year-old given their superior cognitive development. You can see this in the success of modern language learning in post-primary school, with some students feeling more confident in French, German, Italian or Spanish than Irish after only six years of language learning compared to 14 for Irish.
The policy pursued in 1922 was the correct one in terms of language input, but was poorly implemented as not enough teachers were competent to teach Irish. That challenge remains to this day, but the amount of expose that children have to Irish has been greatly reduced. The time spent learning Irish in infant classes now is 30 minutes per day, whereas it was over four hours until the 1960s.
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From RTÉ Upfront podcast, comedian Michael Fry about the value of learning Irish
Part of the difficulty we have today with compulsory Irish is that we have unrealistic expectations. Given the limited amount of teaching time, children are achieving as much as might be expected. This is not to deny that Irish could be better taught, as continually highlighted in Chief Inspector’s reports.
When people ask why we're not all fluent in Irish after 14 years learning it, the answer is that learning an additional language through short classes over an extended period of time, often referred to as a ‘drip-feed’ approach, is not very efficient. Irish is not unique in this either. Similarly disappointing results are found for French as a second language in Canada and Welsh as a second language in Wales. However, what does work in Canada, Wales and, indeed, Ireland is the immersion approach such as in gaelscoileanna.
What’s next?
I believe we have lost our way when it comes to teaching Irish and why we expect children to learn it. It's 100 years since the initial vison for Irish in education was conceptualised and much has changed since then, not least the demographic makeup of the population.
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From RTÉ Archives, John McAleese repoirts for RTÉ News in 1973 on the decision to remove the need for a pass mark in Irish exams to obtain the Leaving, Intermediate and Group certificates
We need a step change in relation to our vision for Irish in society in general, not just in our schools. A forum such as a citizens' assembly would provide an opportunity to develop a new vision for Irish for the 21st century. What role do we envisage for Irish in our national identity? Where will Irish be spoken? How can we support Irish speakers and learners?
In the meantime, we need a comprehensive plan for Irish in education from pre-school to university and the Department of Education needs to respond to the demand from parents for Irish-medium education. The number of students receiving education through Irish has fallen for the first time in 50 years at a time when the current Programme for Government seeks to work towards doubling the numbers. The time for teaching Irish will decrease by 30 minutes per week from 3rd to 6th class under curriculum change approved by the current Minister for Education. We have definitely lost our way.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
