Language Immersion Courses in Ireland

The Irish language is required to be taught throughout the country in all primary and secondary schools which receive any sort of public money.  Certain students may get an exemption from learning Irish; these include students who have spent a significant period of time abroad or students with a learning difficulty.  In 1973 the requirement to pass the Irish language in order to receive a second-level certificate was dropped.  English is the primary medium of instruction at all levels, except in Gaelscoileanna.  Universities also offer degree programs in diverse disciplines, taught mostly through English, with a few in Irish. Some universities also offer some courses partly through other languages such as French, German or Spanish.

Gaelscoilenna, primary schools in Ireland with the Irish language as the medium, are a recent movement, started in the mid 20th century.  In 1972 there were only 11 such schools at primary level and five at secondary level in the Republic. Now there are 172 at primary level and 39 at secondary level.  There is now at least one gaelscoil in each of the 32 counties of Ireland and several in some larger towns and cities.  Gaelcholáistes are the second-level schools for Irish language medium education sector. Approximately 3% of secondary students attend these schools. There are 368 Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí in Ireland.

The Irish language is the working language in these schools and they can now be found throughout the country.  Students in the gaelscoileanna acquire the Irish language through language immersion, though they study the standard curriculum.  They differ from Irish-language National Schools in that most are under the patronage of a voluntary organization, Foras Pátrúnachta na Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge, rather than a diocesan patronage.  Nearly 10% of all school children attend Gaelscoils with 368 primary and post-primary schools across the country making it the fastest growing education sector in Ireland.

Gaelscoileanna have the reputation of producing competent Irish-language speakers.  In contrast, English-medium schools produce relatively few fluent Irish speakers, despite the Irish language being an obligatory subject in both primary and secondary schools in Ireland. This failure has been attributed in part to the lack of Irish-language immersion programs. The Irish government has promised reforms in curriculum and teaching training for Irish in English-medium schools.

The 20 Year Irish Language Strategy was published in November 2009. This document emphasizes the importance of offering all children in primary schools in Ireland the opportunity to experience partial immersion in the formative years of primary education. It calls for primary teachers to have additional immersion classes to improve their competence in the language. This would involve teaching some subjects such as Mathematics and Science in Irish. Such a policy, if implemented effectively, would mean that the gaelscoileanna were no longer the only means of promoting bilingualism in schoolchildren.