I am very aware of the historical, cultural and social importance of the Irish language and the role it plays in shaping a positive and shared sense of national identity among children and young people. This is reflected in the commitment of my department to promoting, improving and reforming the teaching and learning of Irish in our schools. My department aims to foster an inclusive approach, and positive attitudes, to Irish, including increasing the use and enjoyment of Irish and improving the integration of supports for Irish in schools.
In this regard, there are ongoing developments in relation to the teaching and learning of Irish in post-primary schools. These developments reflect, and are responsive to, the findings of research, Inspectorate reports and consultation with stakeholders at national and school level. A key priority is the development of students’ communicative competence in Irish.
Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools
The publication of “Is féidir liom, is féidir linn… the Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools” in November 2025 represented a significant milestone in relation to the teaching, learning and use of Irish in schools.
The Action Plan supports English-medium primary and post-primary schools in implementing existing curriculum specifications to provide better learning experiences of Irish and increase the use of Irish among children and young people. The Action Plan was informed by extensive consultation and research.
The actions in the plan focus on the key elements that make a difference to language learning- mindset; teaching Irish as a language; opportunities to use Irish; and the use of approaches that ensure that all children and young people experience success in their learning. In particular, the Action Plan places a focus on the development of students’ oral language skills.
Curriculum developments
The ongoing curriculum developments for Irish at junior cycle and at senior cycle are a key component of my department’s commitment to enhance the teaching and learning of Irish in post-primary schools.
Junior Cycle curriculum developments
The Junior Cycle curriculum specifications were introduced in 2017 as part of Junior Cycle reform. A review of those specifications was undertaken for the NCCA by SEALBHÚ and published in 2023.
As a result of that review, changes were made, including a greater focus on oral communication skills.
A follow up review began in 2023 which is to include an evaluation of the impact of the changes made in that year.
On completion of this review next year, its findings and recommendations will be considered to inform next steps. Recommendations will be considered at that stage by my department and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) as part of the wider policy landscape.
Curriculum developments at senior cycle
Work is currently underway to redevelop the subject specification for Leaving Certificate Irish. This work is advancing through the NCCA structures and provides for alignment of the emerging specification to the Common European Framework of References (CEFR) for languages.
The specification development work will also consider feedback summarised in the NCCA’s report on the Consultation on the Background Paper on Irish. This feedback emphasised points such as the need to address reliance on rote learning and memorisation and to focus on prioritising real-world communication skills, fluency, and oral language proficiency. It also highlighted the need to consider innovative approaches such as:
• integrating modern multimedia resources such as films, podcasts, and social media clips into the lists of prescribed texts.
• new assessment types such as role-plays based on meaningful, real-life scenarios.
Other supports for Irish
Under the Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools, additional supports for Irish in post-primary schools include the following:
• A new cross-sectoral team in Oide, the support service for teachers, is providing supports to school leaders and teachers for the teaching of Irish in English-medium schools. These supports emphasise the importance of oral fluency and focus on building opportunities for everyday communication among all learners. The programme of support places a particular focus on the use of the communicative approach, active learning for all and opportunities for every student to use Irish daily.
• Oide is supporting an increased number of schools who are engaging with the department’s Content Language and Integrated Learning (CLIL) Project for Irish. This focuses on building capacity and strengthening a contextualised approach to Content Language and Integrated Learning.
• Oide is also working in collaboration with my department’s Inspectorate in developing materials to support the sharing of effective practice on the teaching, learning and use of Irish.
• An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) has a new team to work on a resource for the development of students’ listening and oral language skills in English-medium schools. COGG is also developing an online Irish language resource hub for teachers in English-medium schools.
