Minister Byrne announces funding of over €500,000 for Naíonraí support and development
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From: Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
- Published on: 18 June 2024
- Last updated on: 10 October 2024
The Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne, today announced five-year funding of €529,547 for a new scheme which seeks to provide a comprehensive support and development service to naíonraí outside of the Gaeltacht. This new scheme will be administered by Gaeloideachas.
Naíonraí are recognised as the cornerstone of the system of immersion education in Ireland. Outside of the Gaeltacht, they are often the first contact that children have with the Irish language, and in the case of children being raised through Irish, naíonraí are essential to ensure that they receive early education in their native language. Ideally there would be a naíonra present in every area in which there is an Irish language primary school, at least, with the option of continuity in the immersion education system available to every child.
However, there has been a significant decline in the number of naíonraí outside of the Gaeltacht in recent years, despite the fact that they are in high demand. This new scheme seeks to address this problem directly.
Gaeloideachas is a national voluntary organisation which supports the development of all-Irish education. It was established as Gaelscoileanna in 1973 to support all-Irish speaking primary and post-primary schools outside of the Gaeltacht. Since then, the organisation’s role has expanded and they now also provide support services to Gaeltacht schools. Gaeloideachas advises, assists and supports those who wish to educate their children entirely through Irish, as well as providing support and advocacy services to those working in the sector. It is clear that Gaeloideachas has the experience and the network in the field of Irish-language immersion education outside of the Gaeltacht.
Speaking about this new scheme, Minister of State Thomas Byrne said:
“Until now, naíonraí outside of the Gaeltacht have been operating in a complex environment, without a proper support system and this new scheme will seek to address this problem. As Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, I am working to support the language community and promote all-Irish education. I understand the serious need for more support services in order to ensure the quality and sustainability of the immersion education services and this new funding is aimed specifically at that goal. The meaningful work being undertaken by the Gaeloideachas organisation for many years to promote all-Irish education is widely recognised and I commend Gaeloideachas for their dedication in the promotion of the language.”
The Chief Executive of Gaeloideachas, Bláthnaid ní Ghréacháin said:
“This funding is a very important step towards better support infrastructure for naíonraí outside of the Gaeltacht. All of the evidence we have demonstrates that the early-years Irish language sector is highly vulnerable, which is deeply concerning for all of us who believe in the value of immersion education and the language for young children. Gaeloideachas has long recognised that State intervention is urgently necessary if current and potential naíonraí are to be part of the immersion education landscape in Ireland in the future. We feel that this funding is a small, but strong, start and we are very grateful to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media who listened to our concerns and who are happy to create opportunities by approving funding which will assist us in working towards a more supportive system for the teachers and children in naíonraí.”