Caoimhín De Barra Associate Professor of History, Gonzaga University, Washington IT’S THE ANNUAL Seachtain na Gaeilge for 2021, running from 1-17 March. As our country nears its 100 year anniversary, this is an appropriate time to reflect on what could be done differently to achieve what our nation’s founders saw as one of their most important goals: reviving the Irish language.
This idea can be traced back to the nineteenth century when Irish nationalists saw the national school system introduced by the British government as the primary agent of Anglicisation in the country. Indeed, this might be necessary not just to help advance the cause of Irish, but to preserve the gains that have already been made through the growth of the Gaelscoileanna movement.
The fact that students would likely be able to do their chosen degree through Irish while requiring fewer points than they would need to attend Ireland’s traditional universities would mean that some secondary students would take the study of Irish much more seriously than they currently do.
Smaoineamh iontach a bhí ann céad bhliain ó shin. Agus cuireadh i bhfeidhm é. Ach tháinig muintir gnaithe na hAchreidh ag iarraidh cúrsaí praiticiúla agus géillfaí rompu. Ach nach bhfuil sop in aghaidh na scuba ar an gCeathrú Rua. Faigh jab ann.
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