James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a little bit of Irish thanks, but we could all do with learning a little more. It is a nice language and many foreigners who have come here appreciate it. I have been surprised by the grasp of, and love for, the language by foreign students in our schools. Some of those students are ten or 11 years old, yet they can speak four or five languages. Some of them are the best Irish speakers in their class at 11 or 12 years of age. We should take note of this because when people love a language they will grasp it.

Our problem dates back to the educational systems that were in place in bygone days. People either loved or hated the subject, but the model for teaching the language in schools had a big impact on people not grasping or using it as an everyday language.

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