Irish summer colleges are to be canvassed on whether they think it is feasible to run courses for Irish language students in August.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has confirmed that it will shortly be initiating a “public consultation process with accommodation providers”.
A spokesman said: “Given the likelihood that the vast majority of the adult population will not be vaccinated until July, it is likely that it may not be feasible to run summer courses prior to August.”
It said it was in “regular contact” with Concos, the colleges’ umbrella group.
An estimated 27,000 students normally attend coláistí Gaeilge each year in the various Gaeltacht areas, including several west coast islands, as do trainee teachers. Courses normally held in June and July had to be cancelled last year because of the pandemic. The language tuition and accommodation provided locally by fluent Irish-speaking hosts — the mná tí — is valued at an estimated €50 million to the local economy.
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The department said specific guidelines for summer colleges — and for the Gaeltacht households providing accommodation — were being finalised.
“The issue of whether Irish summer colleges will be in a position to operate this coming summer remains under review,” the department said.
However, it said that the guidelines would be circulated “shortly” and it planned to further engage with relevant stakeholders on the matter.
Sean de Paor, of Coláiste Chiaráin in Connemara, said that he had heard nothing concrete, but the college has been taking provisional bookings for June and July. “We haven’t got anything official yet as to whether we can go ahead,” he said.
The Labour Party is proposing that every primary school pupil in the country spend one year learning through Irish only.
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Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, the party’s education spokesman, told the Irish language news website Tuairisc.ie that “revolutionary” change was needed to solve the problems that exist in relation to the teaching of Irish in the education system.
Ó Ríordáin said he was sceptical about the department’s plan to introduce two new syllabuses for the Leaving Certificate Irish examination, one for students in Irish and Gaeltacht schools and another for English schools.
“The current problem is that many students are going through the primary school system and, after spending eight years learning Irish, they do not have it. I don’t think that’s right or fair,” Ó Ríordáin said.
“We should do something revolutionary in those schools where Irish is not used as the normal language of the school,” he said, proposing that one year be selected — whether first, second or third — where all subjects are taught through Irish.
“I am fed up with listening to policies about the Irish language from all parties, including myself, policies that put the emphasis in the wrong place and perhaps it is time for us to put this debate in front of everyone,” Ó Riordáin, who spent over ten years as a primary school teacher in Dublin city, said.
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He said that as part of the Labour Party policy, extra training would be provided for teachers.