Whatsapp as gaeilge, ‘Big Gaeilge’

I think history should be mandatory to leaving cert. History and Maths.
It needs to be taught more about causation and results than some obscure date though.

Interesting.

It must be very badly taught. After being taught it in school for 10 years plus not being able to hold a basic conversation in Irish after 10 years would be the equivalent of university graduates not being able to do long multiplication or that once they finish school.

Very poorly taught despite it being a requirement for all primary school teachers.

The sacred cows for the Irish language lobby are control over the primary school teaching profession and it being compulsory for the LC. Remove both and you wouldn’t see any difference.

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Is fuath liom Gearmáinis.

I can only speak for my own time in school but it was very badly taught then and there was a dull and unimaginative curriculum. I’ll ask the nephew the next time I see him as to what he thinks of how it is taught now.

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Yes and yes. Given that abortion was only legislated for in Ireland in 2018 I think a play which focused on unplanned pregnancy and the shame and pressure a prospective mother was made to feel was more relevant to Ireland than Hamlet or any Shakespeare play. Given how the treatment of women by men has come under increased spotlight over the last few years with #metoo and violent murder cases, I think yes, the story of a young woman being manipulated, then abused then ghosted by an older man is relevant. I think if it was in English it would be box office. You might substitute in a Ryanair flight to England for the workhouse bit.

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What else is compulsory? English and Maths? Anything else?

Do all these subjects require the same level of school hours from primary school straight through to your leaving cert?

If so you’d have to ask serious questions about Irish teachers.

In an ideal world I think Irish would be on the curriculum but not examinable. Being part of the Leaving Cert encourages rote learning rather than learning how to speak it

The whole history of the Irish language thing, while I found it very interesting, was presumably extremely boring for 90% of the class.

Those are the only 3 complusory at leaving cert

Lads being groomed for the trades and factories and they having Irish beaten into to them for 11 years before leaving school at 15.

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I love it. Quick question. Who are the Irish language lobby and in what manner do they control the primary school teaching profession? Is it like the mafia controlling unions?

In Ireland? 2 maybe?

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The barriers to entry to the primary school profession. It is well known that people with U.K. qualifications are looked down upon. They are forced to take expensive courses in Irish but are often last for offers in primary schools for jobs.

Given the inability of the Irish language lobby to teach the thing properly in schools, it is ridiculous that foreign qualifications are treated as such.

On compulsory Irish, we saw the reaction when one of the main political parties here suggested it was removed for the LC.

Here is Big Gaeilge in action.

All of these students thought it was their birthright for a guaranteed job and didn’t like that one of those avenues was being impacted.

Their various acolytes were all over the papers claiming doom if compulsory Irish for the LC was dropped.

It’s somewhat ironic when the Welsh language has seen a revival when you can stop learning it at 16 and it is not required at A Level. In fact the Welsh are moving to teach the language in a more radical way.

I reckon if you took a survey of those Irish language students from 2011 now 10 years on, they’re all happily in teaching, translator or media jobs in the various state subsidised cottage industries. Their kids will likely go to Gaelscoils, where they are given an entrance advantage, and the whole vicious cycle continues to the exclusion of the new Irish and the rest of society.

In EOBonomics, about 10. In the real world, maybe 5.

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You think he can do something about it when in a tiny party like labour

Do you still get the extra marks for doing the leaving through Irish?

You do, it’s a great way to look after the middle classes

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You are bizarre on this. While English qualified teachers do have to do a course, it’s to fill the requirement to be able to speak Irish because that’s part of the job spec. The strange belief that they are are often last on the list to be offered jobs AND that this is because they dont speak irish is truly bizarre. I’m not sure where you heard it or how it could be proved in anyway at all. I would believe that teachers are sometimes not offered jobs on religious basis as we still have greater control of schools by religion in primary. No way because of Irish. It’s farcical.

A bunch of Irish language students marching is evidence of big Gaeilge? Laughable. Utterly laughable. Have they a shadowy billionaire gaeilgeoir pushing them to do it? Or the big publishers of Irish school books?

Finally, you reference everyone who studied Irish going on to be fully employed in a cushy job 10 years later. This is hilarious. Firstly, nobody (eith the obvious exception) really believes teaching is a cushy number. Secondly, it’s Arts! An arts degree! They are in their holes all securely employed in Irish ten years later.

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This is well known in primary school circuits, this is why private junior schools are often full of teachers with overseas qualifications.

On the next point- yes, the lobby got to work. There are few qualifications with the employment prospects of an Irish language graduate. It isn’t just “arts”.