Michael Cahill
Ceist:300. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a proposal can be examined (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35891/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 14 May 2026
Ceisteanna (300)
Freagraí scríofa
I can advise the Deputy that the proposal was reviewed by officials of my department and that my department has engaged with the author on the matter.
As you are aware, the Irish language is a core subject in the national curricula for all recognised primary and post-primary schools and centres for education in Ireland. My department continues to promote Irish in the education system and to support Irish-medium education through a variety of initiatives. The department is contributing to a number of actions in the Government’s 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and the 5 Year Action Plan 2018 -2022, that highlight my department’s commitment in this area. Details of my department’s actions under the 20-year strategy are available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/20-year-strategy-for-the-irish-language-2010-2030/.
My department has commenced work on the implementation of ‘Is Féidir Liom, Is Féidir Linn…’, The Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools, which covers a two-year period from 2025 to 2027 and which aims to improve the teaching, learning and use of Irish by over 900,000 children and students attending English-medium schools.
The plan is underpinned by four key cornerstones:
• Fostering positive attitudes towards the Irish language
• Increasing the use of Irish
• To support access to the learning of Irish for all children and young people
• Integration of supports for the Irish language.
Further information is available on the department’s webpage here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/action-plan-for-irish-in-english-medium-schools/
The Irish language curricula at primary and post-primary levels have been comprehensively reviewed in recent years. The development of learners’ proficiency in spoken Irish is a fundamental aim in curricular specifications for Irish at all levels.
Following extensive research and robust consultation processes, a new Primary Language Curriculum was introduced for all stages in primary school from September 2019.
The Progression Continua in the Primary Language Curriculum provide a framework for teachers to identify the pupil’s stage of language development and to plan interventions that support the development of language skills and competences in Irish and in English in an integrated manner, emphasising the transferability of language skills across languages.
In addition, For the first time, differentiated specifications were introduced for Irish at Junior Cycle in 2017: the T1 specification is targeted at students in Irish-medium schools, including Gaeltacht schools, and the T2 specification is aimed at students who use the Irish language as a second language, mainly in schools that operate through the medium of English.
The learning outcomes in the specifications for Irish at Junior Cycle provide students with opportunities to build on their Irish language learning experience in primary school and to further enhance and extend their language competences. Communication is one of the three strands of the specification for Junior Cycle Irish. As is the case with the Primary Language Curriculum, the specifications for Junior Cycle Irish are also based on the principles of a communicative approach to language learning emphasising an integrated approach to the development of all language skills. The development of students’ competence in spoken Irish, including their capacity in spoken production and interaction, is a central part of the specifications.
The assessment of skills in spoken Irish forms an integral component of the overall Irish language learning experience at Junior Cycle. Students' oral language skills are formally assessed through Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs), the second of which is entirely based on students’ oral language competence. This CBA is completed by all students studying Irish, is linked to ongoing classroom exchanges and represents a more authentic reflection of students’ interests and competence levels in Irish. The second CBA was recently updated on foot of a review of Irish at Junior Cycle.
This review of the early enactment of Irish specifications T1 and T2 in Junior Cycle, undertaken by SEALBHÚ in DCU on behalf of the NCCA, was published in March 2023. The review identified positives in the level of choice and selection of texts, the use of active learning methodologies and the use of spoken Irish as a motivator for students’ learning. Challenges were identified in relation to over emphasis on literature at the expense of oral Irish, and the need for assessment components to provide support for conversational Irish. Following the review, changes were agreed by the NCCA to respond to those challenges. A further review is now underway which will evaluate the impact of these changes.
Under Senior Cycle Redevelopment, all Leaving Certificate subject specifications are being revised and updated in annual groupings called Tranches. Leaving Certificate Irish is in Tranche 4, and it is envisaged that those entering fifth year in 2028 will study the revised specification. The subject development group for Leaving Certificate Irish was convened by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in September 2025.
The Leaving Certificate Irish specification development process includes working towards alignment of the subject to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as committed to in the Programme for Government. The revision of the subject will align with the long-standing Departmental policy of encouraging and supporting learners to develop and use their Irish, including enhancing oral and aural skills. There will be an opportunity to engage with a public consultation on the draft specification, once prepared by the subject development group. All public consultations can be accessed on the NCCA's website.
It is an aim of Government to increase, on an incremental basis, the use and knowledge of Irish as a community language. Department officials and agencies will continue to review and reform the learning and teaching of Irish and increase access to Irish-medium education through the school patronage process as appropriate. Indeed, the most recent curricular changes at primary and Junior Cycle level referred to above have emphasised not only the importance of learning both languages but also the wider benefits of bilingualism. The development of these new language curricula reflects this department’s reassertion of its commitment to the Irish language and to progressing the language education related actions of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030.