I suppose it depends on your general philosophy on life. If it’s just teaching people useful shit for life just teach them English, some basic maths (with a whopper section on compound interest) and some basic computing. There rest of the time should be spent doing PE (mixed with biology).
The ‘nobody uses it in life’ argument can be thrown at nearly every other subject. Who the fuck uses geography or chemistry in their every day life? Or trigonometry? Or German? A tiny tiny percentage. Sure let the tech drawing crowd have their archiscoileanna…
This subject is a huge part of our history and culture. Learning a second language early has incredible developmental benefits so why shouldn’t it be our own? Do we want to give people a rounded education or a very narrow one?
You might be finished with Gaeilge but lots of people aren’t and they’ve every right to try to bring up kids in Irish or try to access services that way. Irish is a toy language in the way that Waterford is a toy hurling county yet I still wouldnt deny them the right and funding to try keep it going.
I loved you theory that Irish was a scam to Hoover up money for Big Gaeilge. You never did get around to telling us who was involved in the conspiracy? The teachers/civil servants etc…
A cracking post, I was nodding along in agreement until your unnecessary and bitter swipe at Waterford hurling, you auld bollox.
I’m not suggesting that people don’t have the right to learn Irish, I’m suggesting that it shouldn’t be mandatory that they do so. You mention Chemistry and German. You choose to study them. I chose both and I enjoyed them immensely. I studied German for 6 years in secondary school and I’ve had a grá for the language ever since. It helped that I had a fantastic German teacher, Mr Barry, but the reality is that I can speak as much German now after 6 years of elective learning as I can Irish after 14 years of mandatory learning. The German is also handy when I holiday in Germany whereas I find I can just about get by with a bit of English when I visit the Gaeltachts here.
A fair assessment. I thought his initial toy language swipe was a bit bitter and unnecessary and insulting to people who do use the language so I responded in kind. And this tfk after all.
That an indictment on how we teach languages and especially Irish. I doubt anyone would disagree with you there.
I’m curious as to what Lána Chairdiff and Duga Seoirse and the likes add to the general culture of the capital city other than cost.
You’ve always had a good eye for an opportunity to leave a bit in on a lad in a TFK post.
What second language would you have them learn in primary school?
Latin
You’re not alone
It’s a cushy golden circle.
Despite the fact that primary school teachers are forced to have a strong standard of Irish, we do not teach through it. Children in continental Europe have a higher standard of another language at 12 than kids in Ireland do here. Clearly there is no real push to teach them.
Despite this, we treat Irish like English, and make it compulsory for the LC. This ensures that worried parents of young teenagers fork out hundreds of euros to go to the Gaeltacht as they don’t want little Johnny falling further behind. Most will end up taking pass Irish.
Despite ruling the roost for 100 years, the Irish language lobby in education have failed to make the language relevant. Backed up to this, we have a radio and tv station devoted to it- both of which few watch.
I actually believe the Irish people want to learn the language, so the failure clearly resides with the Irish language lobby. It’s clear they have no incentive to teach it properly. The jobs in admin in RnG and TG4, Nuacht RTÉ, TG4 weatherwomen, Ros na Run, primary school teachers, secondary school teachers , the civil service, the EU etc would stop going to the golden circle then. Kids wouldn’t need to go to the Gaeltacht if they could speak the language at 12 and the region would lose that easy subsidy. Those from the West who became east coast elitists knew this so have driven elite Gaelscoils so their kids can hold the same advantage they had.
I have previously proposed that Irish is removed as a compulsory language at the LC but that all primary schools become Gaelscoils but the Irish language lobby have no interest. It’s time to cut the subsidies and let the language live on its own. This would free up much needed resources for housing and also help the climate as people in rooral backwaters wouldn’t be as incentivised to build one off McMansions to house Dubs every summer.
maybe he should go back to teaching if hes so concerned
By all accounts he was a very very good teacher.
Is it compulsory all the way through school down south?
It must be very badly taught when you consider how few people are able to speak any decent standard of it down south despite being taught it for 10 years plus.
Are the teachers useless?
Actually don’t answer that.
What does that have to do with anything?
they say the same about mary mitchell oconnor., they both should have stayed teaching
Most Germans speak better English than John Mullane.
you do know what oriordan did for a living before he got his snout in the trough?
He was a teacher? What does you wanting him to go back teaching have to do with it?