gaelcholaisteblog

While launching the Dept of Education’s initiative to provide laptops to classrooms, Minister Batt O’Keefe referred to the current healthy state of the Department of Education’s budget. The overall capital budget of €614m means that the €22m spent on this scheme will only be 2% of that budget. Not only that, but his Department has made savings of 14% (= €85m plus) this past year.

Remember that our Gaelcholáiste will cost about €1.5-2m at most. That’s eh… 0.24% of the total budget or 1.7% of the savings made this year.

Ah no, that’s way too much.

Deireann Brian Cowen gur “Seoid Luachmhar í an Ghaeilge” Ach ceard is fiú í sin?

Chonaic muid inné nach bhfuil an t-easpa airgid an fáth nach bhfuil aitheantas faighte againn don Gaelcholáiste ón Roinn. Tá an t-eileamh ann, an pátrún ann, an foirgneamh ann, anois tá an t-airgead ann. Cén fath nach bhfuil an scoil ann fós?

Yesterday we saw that the lack of money was not the reason that we haven’t yet received recognition for the new Gaelcholáiste from the Department of Education. The demand is there, the building is there, now the money is there, why isn’t the school there yet?

Tuileadh eolais/More information
“Calls to approve capital projects”
“Minister urged to use unspent €396m on school projects”

Bhí an-spóirt ag chuile dhuine ag an Blitz Peile a bhí againn i bpairceanna Naomh Eoghan, i mBóthar Broadford. Bhí muid an-sásta an caidreamh a raibh ag fás idir na himreoirí óna scoileanna difriúla ach ag imirt ar na foirne céanna inár gcomórtas a fheiceáíl. Tá súil againn go gheobhaidh siad an seans an caidreamh seo a mhéadú san nGaelcholáíste.

We all had great fun at our Football Blitz in Naomh Eoghan’s Broadford Road pitches. We were particularly happy to see the growing friendship between players from different schools who were on the same team in our competition. We hope that they will get the chance to increase this friendship in the Gaelcholáiste. (Go here for the remainder of the post in English)

Bhí slua maith páistí, tuismitheoirí agus muinteorí ann, ag baint taitneamh as an gcéad lá grianmhar don bhlian beagnach, agus chur sé sin go mór leis an t-atmaisféar don ócaíd.

Cé go raibh sé orainn limistéar a chuir ar an méad páistí a raibh in ann glacadh páirt (níos lú ná leath na ranganna) bhí níos mó ná 70 páistí ann ag an lá. Is cinnte go dtaispeánann sé seo an méid éileamh atá ann do Gaelcholáiste nua.

Ba mhaith linn ár mbuíochas a rá arís leis na príomhoidí, na muinteoirí, na tuismitheóirí, an coiste agus na caillíní agus na buachaillí go léir as ucht tacaíocht.

Candidates from most parties contesting the Dublin South bi-election were joined by county councillors, children and parents to express their support for our campaign outside the school in Sydenham Road.

Ní Coláiste nua go cabhair

The candidates were treated to a colourful and good natured display from the children from our local primary level Gaelscoileanna wearing our “an bhfuil cead againn dul go dtí an Gaelcholáiste?” t-shirts which ask for them to be allowed continue their education through Irish at second level.

Senator Alex White (Labour)

Senator Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fáil)

At the event we pointed out that there had been a huge increase in the number of students attending Gaelscoileanna in the area:

The students from the various Gaelscoileanna were very enthusiatic about the opportunity to come together in a new Gaelcholáiste after Rang a Sé

Since 2001 there has been a massive increase in the number of children attending Gaelscoileanna in South Dublin. While 93 students graduated from 6^th class in 2001, there were 183 leaving the same schools in 2009. There will be a projected 203 pupils leaving 6th class from the six Gaelscoileanna in this area in 2011. That represents a 226% increase since 2001. There has been no corresponding increase in the provision of second level places teaching through Irish. Where exactly will the additional students go after ‘Rang a Se’?

Elizabeth Davidson (Green)

Shaun Tracey (Sinn Féin)

We have shown that there is enough demand to fill a 350 pupil secondary school in South Dublin twice over. We have a suitable building available here which will cost at most €3million to refurbish to the appropriate standards. This is relatively very little in comparison to the €20million or so which a standard 350 pupil-school built on a green field site would cost. This refurbishment need not be done all at once, but can easily take place on a rolling basis where the cost could be spread over some three to five years as the student body expands: that puts a price tag of €575,000 per year over five years for the entire school.

We drew on the thoughts of Dr Finbarr Bradley to point out that linguistic diversity and innovation, which is seen as the only way out of our current economic difficulties, go hand in hand:

According to Dr Bradley in a recent publication by Iontaobhas Gaelscoilaíochta:

“This is why Irish-medium education is so crucial. In an innovation age, the Irish language is central to the development process, both north and south. It does this through its contribution to wholeness, integrity, civic responsibility, aesthetic sensibility and ecological concern.”

Councillor Aidan Culhane (Labour)

Councillors Pat Hand (Fine Gael) and Tony Fox (Fianna Fáil)

Up until now there has been a barrier placed in the way of the development Irish language education in this area. This barrier prevents the further development of the Irish speaking community in this area and it denies many of the children of Gaelscoileanna the right to carry on their Irish language education into second level. This barrier also stands in the way to the growth of modern, technical education…we ask that this barrier be removed by the sanctioning of the school by the use of a little imagination and forethought from the Department of Education which could sanction the opening of this school at relatively little cost to the taxpayer.

In attendance were parents and children from GS Thaobh na Coille, GS Chnoc Liamhna, Scoil Naithí and Lios na nÓg, Senators Alex White (Labour candidiate for Dublin South) and Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fáil), Dublin South Candidates Elizabeth Davidson (Green) and Shaun Tracey (Sinn Féin), Councillors Aidan Culhane (Labour), Pat Hand (Fine Gael), Tony Fox (Fianna Fáil) and Sinn Féin’s candidate for DLR County Council Oonagh O’Reilly.

Oonagh O'Reilly (Sinn Féin)

Thanks to all for the support

Ní coláiste nua go cabhair!

Bhí roinnt lucht tacaíochta an fheachtais ag an Seoladh Seachtain na Gaeilge ag scaipeadh an scéal.

Leagan Gaeilge

We welcome the Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s remarks expressing his commitment to Irish-medium education, but we note some inconsistencies in government policy.

On Thursday’s edition (19.02.09) of the Raidió na Gaeltachta programme An Saol ó Dheas the Taoiseach said:

“The Gaelscoileanna movement is the best thing we have seen with respect to the spreading of the Irish language amongst the people, and as Taoiseach I am giving much support to this movement and will continue to do so as far as I am able.” Our Translation ( You can find a full translation of relevant portion of interview here).

We agree that the Taoiseach has long shown his fulsome support for the Gaelscoileanna movement, even so far as sending his own children to the local gaelscoil. However, his Education Minister Batt O’Keefe has been less proactive, failing to sanction the opening of a second level Irish-medium school in the area with the biggest growth of Gaelscoileanna places in the country.

On foot of the Taoiseach’s comments, we ask the following questions of the Minister and to Department officials within the Department of Education:

• Question 1: Can the Minister for Education tell us exactly why, when the Taoiseach is so committed to Irish-medium education, the Department of Education seems unwilling to fund second level Irish-medium education to the same degree?
• Question 2: If seven Gaelscoileanna were built last year and four more this year, why has there been no additional second level places in Irish language schools in either year?
• Question 3: Does education through English end at age 12? Why then should education through the medium of Irish?
• Question 4: Since 2001 there has been a massive rise in Gaelscoileanna numbers in South Dublin but no rise in second level places. Where do the new Gaelscoileanna students go after Rang a Sé?

We have demonstrated the demand exists to fill a 350 Irish-medium second level school in South Dublin twice over. Our patron body (Co. Dublin VEC) has suitable premises in its ownership. This would cost well under €3m euro to fully equip (distributed over a 3-4 year timescale). It could open in September at a much reduced cost to the Department.

The continuity of Irish-medium education in South Dublin has been stunted by the Department to date. The Department could also see itself paying up to €30million of taxpayers money for a brand new school in about 5 years time if it doesn’t exploit  this opportunity to fund the refurbishment of the old school building currently in the Dublin VEC’s ownership. The school could feasibly and sensibly be opened this September for a tenth of the cost to the taxpayer.

We call on the Department not to waste taxpayers’ money during these harsh economic times by postponing the inevitable.

The full interview on Raidió na Gaeltachta

Taoiseach Brain Cowen on An Saol ó Dheas (Radio na Gaeltachta) Thursday at 12.00 i.n.

This is the extract of the interview where the Taoiseach discusses Gaelscoil education.

We would be very grateful to those supporters who would visit the clinics of their local politicians to enlist their support for our campaign.

While manyTD’s  have already worked on our behalf, we feel that local TD’s particularly those from the government parties need to be told that it is no longer acceptable for the Department of education to be preventing our children from continuing thir education in Irish at second level.

The list of times and locations is available HERE.

Beidh muid an-buíoch do aon duine go mbeadh sásta dul go dtí na clinicí polaiteoirí áitúla chun tacaíocht na bpolaiteorí a fháil san fheachtas.

Cé go bhfuil obair maith déanta ag roinnt acu ar ár son, ceapann muid go bhfuil sé an-tábhactacht go gcloiseann siad uait, na TD’s as na páirtí rialtais go h-áirithe, nach bhfuil sé ceart go gcuireann an Roinn bac i mbealach ár páistí atá ag iarradh a oideachais Gaeilge a leanúint ag an dara leibheal.

Ta liosta na clinicí ANSEO.

Iontaobhas (na Gaelscolaíocht) Strikes Back, Irish News article 7/01/09 (and comments)

Gaelscoil parents want to have their cake and eat it. Sarah Carey, Irish Times article. 24/12/08

Tá an teanga ar an mbóthar ceart, Letter in response to Tony Kennedy letter, Shónadh Macaodh. 20/12/08

Irish language is very much alive, Letter in response to Tony Kennedy letter, Seán Mac Curtáin. 22/12/08

We don’t need to boost the Irish Language Tony Kennedy. 19/12/08

“Apartheid” slur on Gaelscoileanna not based on facts. Irish Times Response Piece, 18/12/08

“Educational Apartheid” Niav Keating letter about Holmquist article, Irish Times, 12/12/08.

Seán Ó hAdhmaill letter about Holmquist article, Irish Times, 11/12/08.

Language of Educational Apartheid, Kate Holmquist, Irish Times article. 09/12/08