Mr. Michael Gillespie:

Yes, more than likely. The Gaelcholáistí are experiencing it on speed. It is way worse for them because of the Irish qualification. How is it showing up in these schools? People are being recruited who are not teaching through Irish.

They still have to teach the subject because they have the junior cycle or the leaving certificate, so the only thing they can do is drop the idea that the subject will be taught through Irish. That is how they are dealing with it. The problem is that it is a very temporary solution. A person may only be going into that job because it is handy for them for a year. They know they will not be made permanent unless they want to retrain, which is very rare. That person will be gone, so there is no continuity of teaching in the Gaelscoileanna. That is what is happening, especially at post-primary level. I am not sure about how bad it is in primary schools, but that is certainly what we see. For example, I know of a school that will more than likely drop home economics next year because it just cannot get a home economics teacher-----