Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is an interesting debate and I am delighted the Chair had this up for discussion. I know the Cathaoirleach is faoi bhrú. I came across a Séamus Heaney poem in the past week which I had not been able to find for years called "The Gaeltacht" and it is about him thinking back to when he was in my parish in the Atlantic drive with his friends and wondering what it would be like to speak to their age group, some of whom had passed on, when they were younger on the Atlantic drive.

Dr. Seoighe was talking about his own language journey and thinking back to primary school. We all do that. We all wish to go back to talk to that four-, five- or six-year-old. I think Dr. Lynn has nailed it. I think we need to go to a place where our experiences are more relevant, fun and context-based to the world people live in and the virtual world young ones live in. I do not like saying this, but I am extremely worried for the language in English-medium schools. That is no disrespect to the teachers who are trying to manage syllabuses and curriculums and deal with all the changes. They are working under time pressure. However, we should look at the thing chronologically. Let us look at building from the bottom, because building from the bottom does not take long.

In 2015, we went into those weak Gaeltacht areas and they were teaching Irish through the medium of English. Let us call a spade a spade. In 2015, some of the weaker Gaeltacht schools were teaching through the medium of English. The tumoideachas and incentives put in has transformed that in seven or eight years. It is gone. Those fifth- and sixth-year students, who were in there at the time, are out the other end and they are going to their Gaelcholáistí. It can change so quickly.

When we talk about what needs to be done with Irish, we say what needs to be done in secondary school and primary school, but we should manage to get into the bottom. What are young ones at preschool-age talking about? They are looking for stuff. They are asking where their lunch is. They are asking when they are going outside to play. It is very simple vocabulary. When they are little sponges is the time to do it.

My challenge to the university sector is to be bold. Let us do what they did in Marino College and Limerick Institute of Technology. They introduced very good master's programmes to get good Irish students in there to learn and teach Irish. Let us be bold. Let us look at the naíonra section. Let us introduce childcare courses where we are training people up, that is, the leaders who will be working in childcare settings in Irish. They should be given incentives. Let us give them more resources. They did it in the Gaeltacht schools and areas. We have to build from the bottom.

É sin ráite, tá mé iontach dóchasach faoi choinne na todhchaí. I am very positive for the future, but if we do not do anything, nothing will change. The witnesses are doing all of this good research work, taighde agus léargas, to give us an insight. I know the witnesses meet with officials in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media but, more importantly, with the officials in the Department of Education. I have worked with them. The bona fides of the people who are pushing the Irish language in the Department of Education are spot on.

They want to make this happen. It always goes back to resources and people saying "sure that will never happen" or believing people will never want this or that. We need to be bold. The university sector should follow the lead of the witnesses in this area. I am talking about the likes of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick and Marino College of Further Education and their courses. Hopefully that will happen.