Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

There is a major emphasis in the primary school curriculum on our Irish culture, including music and dance. Pupils are encouraged to develop an awareness of Irish customs and traditions and to deepen their appreciation of the Irish identity. Throughout the curriculum and the accompanying guidelines, there are numerous examples and suggested learning experiences that draw on the Irish cultural environment and emphasise our heritage, games, music and dance.

The curriculum places value on our Irish culture in the context of growing diversity among the pupil population and the importance of respecting and celebrating the cultures of others. Language is a powerful medium through which pupils acquire an awareness of culture. The primary school curriculum is built on the right of all children, from the beginning of schooling, to experience language learning in both English and Irish. An appropriate experience of both languages has an important contribution to make to the development of the child's cultural awareness and sense of cultural identity. The Irish language is at the core of our heritage and the most obvious aspect of our Irish culture. One of the main aims of the Irish curriculum in the primary school is to develop cultural awareness. Learning the Irish language enables the child to connect with that culture, its literature, folklore and music. In the teaching of English, children are encouraged to read and respond to a wide range of literature and poetry, including the works of Irish authors.

The emphasis on Irish culture permeates other curriculum areas also. For example, in the visual arts, pupils are taught to look at and respond to Irish works and in history the child's learning about "myself and my family" might focus on feasts, festivals and lifestyles of the past. Among the objectives of the music curriculum is the development of an awareness and appreciation of song and traditional Irish instruments. The tin whistle is recommended as one of several suitable means by which pupils can achieve appropriate levels of mastery in the production of music. Dance is a strand of the physical education curriculum and one of its learning objectives include enabling children to perform dances with confidence and competence, including simple folk and Irish dances.

During the delivery of the in-service seminars for music in the 2004-05 school year, specific emphasis was placed on raising teachers' awareness of as many resources as possible for the teaching of Irish music. In addition, the Irish Recorded Music Association Trust presented a tin whistle to every teacher in the country. Dance is one of the three strands being presented to teachers during this year's in-service in physical education. Irish dance is a particular focus and teachers get opportunities to practise set dancing during the in-service seminars.

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