Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 689: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on students at primary and second level being taught the original meaning of Irish placenames; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19842/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome that students in our primary and secondary schools have opportunities to explore the original meaning of Irish place names (logainmneacha). It is clear that this exploration benefits students linguistically and culturally as well as giving them a greater appreciation of the past and the environment. The primary curriculum for Irish includes the exploration of place names and their meaning as one means of enhancing the language awareness of pupils in middle and senior classes. An understanding of place names helps to instil pride among pupils in their locality. The curriculum advises that teachers stimulate pupils' interest in local place names and extend this to national place names. Even where Irish is not the normal language of communication, seeing the language in the names of towns, rivers, mountains and lakes helps pupils to appreciate the influence of the Irish language on English in Ireland. The study of place names can enhance pupils' learning in other areas of the curriculum, notably in geography and history. Discussion of the many words associated with place names such as baile, caisleán, cill and dún can increase pupils' understanding of the human environment and help them improve their range of Irish language vocabulary. In exploring Irish place names such as Cill Dara, Baile Átha Luain and Léim an Bhradáin and the stories associated with them, pupils in senior classes can develop a deeper understanding of the place and its history.

The syllabus for Irish at second level, at both junior cycle and senior cycle, promotes Irish place names as an appropriate area of study within the Irish curriculum which teachers may choose to include in their teaching and learning programmes. Raising students' awareness of the culture and traditions associated with the Irish language is a common thread throughout each Irish language syllabus at second level. The enduring repository of Irish to be found in Irish place names to this day provides a ready source of enquiry that can engage the interest of students as it relates to their own place. The study of place names also provides opportunities for cross-curricular study and co-operation among teachers — notably in the areas of Irish, geography and history — and therefore fits very well with the innovative approaches to learning promoted by the Transition Year programme. The study of place names undoubtedly enriches the learning of students in our primary and post-primary schools.