John Kelly (Labour)

I married a native Irish speaker from Gweedore who is an Irish teacher and I am ashamed that I would feel it easier to address the Minister of State in Spanish on matters relating to the Irish language than in Irish.

However, I firmly believe that most Irish people have a genuine grá for the language. It does not necessarily follow, though, that they are in favour of the current compulsory nature of the syllabus in our schools. It has not worked and this was recognised back in 1924 by the former Minister for Education, Mr. Eoin MacNeill, when he commented, "You might as well be putting wooden legs on hens as trying to restore Irish through the school system ". The language needs to be made readily accessible and attractive to all those who wish to enjoy and learn it because to compel is to repel.

In contrast to this compulsory system, I would like to highlight the effectiveness of every Gaeltacht in the country. Each year more than 25,000 students attend Gaeltachtaí, generating €50 million in these areas. These people voluntarily choose to learn their native language. I applaud the fact that education is a core part of the action areas in the 20-year strategy. Encouraging people to learn Irish for the sheer love of it would be a good start but we must level with people. I am reminded of an advertisement campaign a few years ago which stated, "Learn Irish, it's easy". It is not easy to learn any language and it is definitely not easy to learn Irish but that does not mean it is not rewarding in numerous ways..

The proposal that a total of 20% of places in colleges of education be reserved for those educated through Irish or those who do well in the leaving certificate in Irish is an important development but a weighting or higher points should be given to examination subjects, including Irish that are more relevant for the tertiary courses being applied for by students. For instance, someone applying for a degree in languages should be afforded more points for Irish and other languages than someone who has taken science subjects primarily. Similarly, those applying for science degrees should gain more points for biology, physics and so on, than for less relevant subjects. This would steer students towards courses that would more reflect their academic strengths. The requirement to have Irish to gain entry to some colleges has denied some students the opportunity to explore and excel in their own chosen field of study.

The language has an important role in our culture and society. We need to give people the opportunity to embrace this culture and not attempt to force it on them.