Gaelic Euthanasia?
Someone who is aware of my recent interest in promoting the Irish language at a grassroots level, reached out to me yesterday to make me aware of an email they received from their child’s Gaeilscoil. I will not reveal the identity of my source or the school in question as they would prefer to remain anonymous.
I’m suddenly seeing Gaeilge everywhere on billboards throughout the country, particularly advertisements from government and semi-state bodies. I initially thought that they may have been feeling the rumbles of the grassroots revival and may have been trying to get ahead of it, but judging by what was brought to my attention yesterday, it looks more like a token gesture, or worse, a ruse.
The Irish education system seems to be going through a radical overhaul at present, with the course material in the SPHE curriculum in particular, looking like it has been directly handed down from globalist think tanks with the sole purpose of changing society to a more ‘inclusive’ less homogenous model.
Is our beloved native language to become the next casualty of ‘progress’? The Department of Education has been involved in some extremely sinister business since 2020. The masking of children was an issue that infuriated me beyond words. My own eldest daughter was the only child in her class who didn’t wear one, but even that was a horrendous situation to be put in. I will never forget Norma Foley’s announcement on the night before school, saying children as young as 3rd class would be sent home if they didn’t comply. I will never forget that Foley.
Then there’s all the other things that have been well covered of late. From the backward Irish family depicted in the book, to all the RSE sexually explicit material. The fact that an LGBTQ+ NGO like BelongTo has a similar level of access that Jimmy Saville had to Broadmoor, is equally disturbing and inappropriate. Is Ár dTeanga Dúchais next in the gunsights? Decide for yourself. The statement from the department is conveniently as Gaeilge alone, but the concern expressed by the school comes across as not only genuine but extremely urgent.
Email below.
Irish Education is writing to you to inform you of the current situation as it relates to the development of the Policy for Full-Irish Education (POLG) and to seek your assistance for the benefit of the sector.
Gaelic education is extremely unhappy with the policy framework that was provided to us two weeks ago for consideration before a large consultation meeting last Friday. The Department's document is available at this link. Our dissatisfaction is based on the following points:
There is no stated vision as the basis of the proposed forward direction.
It is not consistent with Possession recommendations. Possession, at the Department's request, analyzed and made recommendations on the feedback from the large and comprehensive consultation. What is in the policy framework is not in line with the recommendations. See Possession's recommendations here which are measured, rights-based and rooted in evidence from other jurisdictions.
Research on the unit model has been ignored. A group of researchers, at the request of COGG, carried out research on the all-Irish units, which were to be the basis of information for the development of the policy as it relates to provision at the post-primary level. Not only were the recommendations not taken into account in the framework, but they were completely ignored, and the researchers and their recommendations were not included in the aforementioned consultation meeting. This research recognizes the need for free-standing immersion schools to meet the demand for full-Irish Education, and the urgency of a proper development path for the current units to support them turning into independent/free-standing schools.
There is very little about the infants. A National plan for Irish in the early years is being prepared by the Children's Department. Without this plan being published, we are operating in a vacuum of information regarding the development and strengthening of the basic stage and cornerstone of the immersion journey in this country.
There is no ambition, knowledge or substance that would give clarity, understanding or courage regarding the establishment of schools in the future.
We have a very short window due to the upcoming election. We cannot surrender the rights you should have as parents and your children.
Your children are taking home a document with a summary of our needs today.
Gaelic education is extremely unhappy with the framework for the forthcoming Policy on Irish-medium Education that was provided to us recently for consideration, ahead of a major consultation meeting with the Department of Education on Friday 20 September.
We are very concerned about the following issues:
There is no stated vision for the future of Irish-medium education in the framework.
The framework is not in keeping with the recommendations made by Possession. Possession were commissioned by the Department of Education to analyze the results of the extensive consultations held with stakeholder groups and make recommendations based on them. The policy framework, as it stands, is not in line with the recommendations. The report by Possession outlines these recommendations, which are measured, rights-based and rooted in evidence from other jurisdictions.
Research on the 'unit' model has been ignored. COGG commissioned research on the 'aonad' model (Irish-medium provision in English-medium schools) which was to inform the development of the policy on provision at post-primary level. Not only were the recommendations not taken into account in the framework, but they were completely ignored, and the researchers and their recommendations were not included in the aforementioned stakeholder consultation meeting. This research recognizes the urgency of standalone immersion schools and a proper development path for existing 'units' to support them becoming independent Gaelic schools.
There is very little in the framework to support kindergartens. A national plan for Irish in the early years is being prepared by the Department of Children but in its absence, we are operating in a vacuum of information regarding support for and the development of kindergartens, the cornerstone of our immersion education system.
There is no stated ambition or information in the framework regarding the establishment of schools in the future.
Gaelic education' urgent demand is that a comprehensive draft of the policy be published for consultation. It has been indicated that the Minister for Education plans to progress the Policy quickly and that the opportunity for consultation is over. Irish education cannot accept this approach.
We will be lobbying strongly for this, and you can help us by making the same demand of politicians in your area and seeking their support to influence the Minister to be reasonable about this demand, and to make a draft policy available for public consultation. We have a very short window to do this, ahead of the upcoming election. We cannot and will not give up on the rights of the dedicated staff in our nurseries and schools, and those of the parents and children they serve.
Please see document sent home with your child today which summarizes these issues.
Urgent Demand for Irish Education
That the draft policy be published and consulted on. It has been revealed that the Minister is going to push the Policy forward quickly and that the opportunity for consultation is over. Irish Education cannot accept this approach. That you and your colleagues make the same demand as politicians in your area and seek their support to influence the Minister to be reasonable about this demand, and demand a draft policy.
Sincerely,
If these developments concern you as they do me, please write to the Department requesting clarification on this matter, particularly if your children are in a Gaeilscoil, because as my source correctly stated; if his child were forced to switch from a Gaeilscoil to a non Irish school due to the lack of supports, they would be placed at a disadvantage straight away, having done all their learning thus far through Irish.
Based on all the evidence I have seen over the past number of years, it is abundantly clear to me — and no one will now convince me of the contrary — that they are trying to eradicate all trace of the Gael on this island. This is ‘Year Zero’ stuff. The question is; will you let them?
This is nothing new.
The Irish people need to get it into their heads that all Irish governments now are anti-Irish in so many ways, and have been since the late sixties of the last century.
They are gombeen, sleeveen, shoneen, slimy creatures with no backbone, whose only interest is getting their slimy hands in ‘the greasy till’.
Completely and utterly colonised in their minds.
They hate Irish culture, and long for the day when the 'troublesome' Irish language dies off completely.
I live in the Connemara Gaeltacht, and the vast majority of the new builds in my townland are by people from outside the area.
They are nearly all monolingual English speakers, with no Irish, and no interest in it. They play absolutely no part in local social life, and some try to get the local schools and Credit Union to operate through English.
Protection for the Gaeltacht - the last reservation of native culture? It’s not happening!
Wake up, those of you who love your country and its culture!
Stephen. As far as I can see this began way back in 1964 When they deleted the cló Gaelge in favour of the Roman style currently in force. The cló Gaeilge was a much easier form to learn. Just as an exercise yourself, write any Irish sentence without the h and substitue a dot over the previous letter and see how it cleans up how it looks. That was just the beginning. Some spellings changed, so meanings changed. It's a long story. I don't think Irish will become commonplace again unless we can return to this format. It was outrageous at the time and ppl didn't understand why it was done. So all that we see now was in train way back (maybe even since the beginning)