I was listening to a radio station a few weeks ago and there was a caller on saying that it should be scrapped in schools for leaving cert in the 26 counties as it is a dead language and there is no point in it, To be honest I was shocked to hear someone come out with such a statement, Up in the North they are fighting for the Irish language and over the border we have people wanting to scrap it. What is going on lads? What is happening to our wee country? To be honest I think that the Irish language should stay. What do the users of Hoganstand think about the irish language should it stay? For me I think it definitly should stay, It is a part of our history and culture, I can't imagine going to a GAA match with no irish language or mass on easter Sunday in Gaoth Dobhair.

Orlaith (Derry) - Posts: 4282 - 20/02/2011 16:21:47    871883

Jesus wept!. There not banning the Irish language. There making it non compulsory for the leaving cert.

paddyogall (Mayo) - Posts: 5110 - 20/02/2011 16:33:42    871892

Of course it should remain in schools! Even more efforts should be made to revive the language. You can start by implementing FG's plan for abolishing it for wasters/people who dont care about it. Then we might make progress.

Sergeant_Slash (Cavan) - Posts: 2182 - 20/02/2011 16:33:52    871893

Hypocrites in the south in regard to the language. You need it as a qualification but it is never used.

If they really want to revive the language learn from history.

Ban English.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 20/02/2011 17:04:12    871912

Paddy we'll ban you in a minute if you dont shut yer bake ;)

Orlaith (Derry) - Posts: 4282 - 20/02/2011 17:29:03    871923

You're overreacting to one fool you heard on the radio Orlaith. Irish won't be gotten rid of, but the means of teaching it should be completely overhauled. We're wasting time and money teaching kids all this 'literature' when after 14 years of education, they can't have a 4 minute very basic conversation using Irish.

Seamus89 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 3848 - 20/02/2011 18:15:27    871958

Orlaith
County: Derry
Posts: 4005

871883 I was listening to a radio station a few weeks ago and there was a caller on saying that it should be scrapped in schools for leaving cert in the 26 counties as it is a dead language and there is no point in it, To be honest I was shocked to hear someone come out with such a statement, Up in the North they are fighting for the Irish language and over the border we have people wanting to scrap it.

You made the leap to not having it compulsory for the leaving to scrapping it completely.. you need to brush up on comprehension

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 20/02/2011 20:24:53    872069

20/02/2011 16:33:42
paddyogall
County: Mayo
Posts: 3576

871892 Jesus wept!. There not banning the Irish language. There making it non compulsory for the leaving cert.
_________________

It will leave more time for other subjects.

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 20/02/2011 20:33:33    872090

20/02/2011 18:15:27
Seamus89
County: Kilkenny
Posts: 1020

871958
You're overreacting to one fool you heard on the radio Orlaith. Irish won't be gotten rid of, but the means of teaching it should be completely overhauled. We're wasting time and money teaching kids all this 'literature' when after 14 years of education, they can't have a 4 minute very basic conversation using Irish.




But surely Seamus when we carry your "ourselves alone" policy to its conclusion, we will only need to speak Irish?

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 20/02/2011 20:35:37    872095

County: Antrim
Posts: 11737

872095 20/02/2011 18:15:27
Seamus89
County: Kilkenny
Posts: 1020

871958
You're overreacting to one fool you heard on the radio Orlaith. Irish won't be gotten rid of, but the means of teaching it should be completely overhauled. We're wasting time and money teaching kids all this 'literature' when after 14 years of education, they can't have a 4 minute very basic conversation using Irish.




But surely Seamus when we carry your "ourselves alone" policy to its conclusion, we will only need to speak Irish?

Dont be daft man, Irish is the language of our pagan ancestors, Latin is where we need to go.

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 20/02/2011 20:53:37    872122

paddyogall
County: Mayo
Posts: 3576

871892 Jesus wept!. There not banning the Irish language. There making it non compulsory for the leaving cert.

--------------------


Maybe they should put an emphasis on English instead - surely you mean They're

abhainn (Galway) - Posts: 1000 - 21/02/2011 09:12:50    872239

It's actually hilarious to hear so many people who never use Irish, all of a sudden waxing lyrical about the Irish language, and claiming to be outraged that Fine Gael would even consider making Irish non compulsory. While Irish may be our national language, you cannot force people to learn something that they are not interested in, I would much rather see students taking a subject for their Leaving that they are actually interested in never mind one that will stand to them in future. There will always be students interested in studying the Irish language, so for those that are lets teach Irish in a more meaningful and modern way, as the current way of teaching Irish is nothing short of archaic, and is doing nothing for the language. So I happen to agree completely with the Fine Gael proposal, as the current way of force feeding a backward Irish syllabus to students is doing nothing for the language, it has clearly not worked which is why I find it so strange that so many people are against trying something new?

gilly0512 (Galway) - Posts: 1176 - 21/02/2011 10:14:35    872271

Always hated irish to be honest because I was no good at it and it was force feed to me. Like I've here before I would far rather learn a practical language such as spanish but of course that wasn't an option for me, but basically what I'm saying is I'd take practicality over patriotism any day of the week if it makes sense.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 21/02/2011 10:32:33    872286

gilly2308
County: Galway
Posts: 590

872271 It's actually hilarious to hear so many people who never use Irish, all of a sudden waxing lyrical about the Irish language, and claiming to be outraged

------

Do you know everyone unhappy with this proposal Gilly? - you're making claims on their behalf here. As for claiming to be outraged, I am outraged. I use Irish everyday, and as I said in a previous post, it is essential to my business, and central to many other industries, as well as being culturally crucial. If people should not be forced to learn Gaeilge then neither should they be forced to learn Maths or English.

Be for the proposal by all means, we can disagree there, but don't make assumptions on other peoples behalf - they are as entitled to their opinion as you are, regardless of your perceived notions of their standards.

abhainn (Galway) - Posts: 1000 - 21/02/2011 10:44:08    872293

One of the biggest problems with the current system is that it doesn't allow students to become fluent or even some way compotent at talking the language because there is too much emphasis on learning poetry and reading stories. I don't know any other language where people have to study poetry(which is written in old Irish and some of the teachers cant even understand it) before they cant speak the language properly. I know the writers of such work have left us a great legacy and they should be remembered but the leaving certificate is not the time to be cluttering up the minds of our young people with irrelavent writtings. For example there was recently a question in the poetry section to comment on the meter of the poem Mo Ghile Mear. Now i couldn't answer that in English never mind in a language i cant talk.
Im all for keeping the language compulsory but the poetry and stories have to be removed and the only emphasis should be on oral and aural work, isn't that how we learned to speak English? We were as good as fluent in English before we learned to write. And we never studied poetry in English until 1st year, when at that time we had been speaking the language all day everyday for our whole lives.
So in short, keep the language compulsory but scrap the poems and stories, and concentrate on the speaking of Irish.

890202 (Wexford) - Posts: 1278 - 21/02/2011 11:01:09    872308

gilly2308
County: Galway
Posts: 590

While Irish may be our national language, you cannot force people to learn something that they are not interested in, I would much rather see students taking a subject for their Leaving that they are actually interested in

I wasn't interested in Maths but was forced to learn it. Like everyone else I did 7 subjects for the Leaving Cert and was interested in 2 of them.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13796 - 21/02/2011 11:25:02    872332

abhainn I haven't actually met anybody who is outraged at the Fine Gael proposal to drop Irish as a compulsory subject, but I have heard plenty of them on the airwaves as well as reading a few letter written to the national papers on this very topic. You say Irish is essential to your business, although I'm at a loss as to how dropping Irish as a compulsory subject will affect your business or affect this country full stop. The methods of teaching Irish have failed this country miserably down through the years, so its high time something new was tried, but of course as is the norm in this country, we hate change and whinge and moan anytime a government tries to attempt something progressive. It may not work, but something still needs to be done, have you any better solutions apart from just leaving things as they are?

gilly0512 (Galway) - Posts: 1176 - 21/02/2011 11:33:36    872340

abhainn I haven't actually met anybody who is outraged at the Fine Gael proposal to drop Irish as a compulsory subject, but I have heard plenty of them on the airwaves as well as reading a few letter written to the national papers on this very topic. You say Irish is essential to your business, although I'm at a loss as to how dropping Irish as a compulsory subject will affect your business or affect this country full stop. The methods of teaching Irish have failed this country miserably down through the years, so its high time something new was tried, but of course as is the norm in this country, we hate change and whinge and moan anytime a government tries to attempt something progressive. It may not work, but something still needs to be done, have you any better solutions apart from just leaving things as they are?

gilly0512 (Galway) - Posts: 1176 - 21/02/2011 11:48:22    872360

Gilly - I'm not saying nothing needs to change, far from it - as a previous poster said, the attitude and curriculum in the classroom is what's needed to change. I just think that removing it as compulsory would be a morally bankrupt move which would in no way help (as FG claim) but rather hinder any hope we have of continuing the language as a viable tongue.

abhainn (Galway) - Posts: 1000 - 21/02/2011 11:53:22    872366

saw bit of TV footage of a meeting called to discuss Fgs Irish proposals with a Fg canditate in galway last week, The main Concern of the Language lobbyists weas the economic concerns of the bean uithigh, while being legitimaste are hardly a compelling reason for keeping it compulsory. In actual fact the bean ui tigh are the ones to make the least from the Irish industry

dhorse (Laois) - Posts: 11374 - 21/02/2011 12:12:04    872392