Fianna Fáil’s education spokesperson and Tipperary North TD Ryan O’Meara has proposed making a Gaeltacht course mandatory for all Leaving Certificate students, reports Breaking News.
He has urged the Minister for Education to consider how such a change could help shift students’ perceptions of the Irish language by integrating a compulsory Gaeltacht experience into the school curriculum.
Mr O’Meara described the proposal as “essential” not only for boosting Irish language proficiency, but also for reshaping how students view the language.
“This isn’t just about exams or fluency, it’s about changing attitudes. Right now, too many students associate Irish with pressure, boredom or frustration, and not with pride or identity,” he said, reports Breaking News.
“At the heart of this is a question we’ve all heard: ‘How can someone go through 14 years of education and still be unable to hold a basic conversation in Irish?’ That shouldn’t be the case. What I’m proposing may seem ambitious, but that’s where this conversation needs to begin. We are witnessing a cultural renaissance in Ireland, with a newfound Grá for our native language, and we need to support and harness that momentum,” reports Breaking News.
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He confirmed that he has formally requested the Minister to begin departmental planning on introducing mandatory Gaeltacht stays, suggesting this could become a core element of the Leaving Cert programme.
“Currently, many students view Irish as just another subject, something they’re required to study, rather than something they feel connected to. For too many, Irish evokes a groan or a huff, not a sense of pride or enthusiasm. That needs to change,” reports Breaking News.
“We need to create more immersive experiences so that young people see Irish as a living language, something they can use and enjoy in real life, not just a subject confined to the classroom,” he added, reports Breaking News.
“By ensuring all students have access to a Gaeltacht course, we offer them a chance to hear the language spoken naturally, use it in daily situations, and to develop a genuine connection to it. Immersion is the best way to learn and gain a Grá for our language. If Irish is going to remain a core subject in our education system, then we have an obligation to ensure students aren’t just learning about it, but living it. This is about more than language. It’s about our national identity, our heritage, and our future. We cannot accept a system where, after over a decade of learning, students are still unable to speak our national language. Something clearly isn’t working, and we need to change that,” reports Breaking News.
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