Seachtain na Gaeilge 2012 album available free of charge with Foinse
March 26, 2012
Foinse is delighted to announce that RÍ-RÁ LE HECTOR, the official Seachtain na Gaeilge 2012 album, will be available free of charge with Foinse and the Irish Independent this Wednesday (28thMarch). Some of the country’s top artists have recorded songs in Irish for this special album; BellX1, The Coronas, The Kanyu Tree, Delorentos, The Walls and The Riptide Movement, to mention but a few. Foinse columnist, Hector Ó hEochagáin recently launched the CD on his radio show, 2fm’s Breakfast with Hector.
“I promise you, that RÍ-RÁ LE HECTOR is one of the best albums you will hear this year,” he said. “Get it, play it agus have it beside your stereo for the year. Ireland is our country and Irish is our language. Be proud!” The CD will be available free of charge with copies of Foinse and the Irish Independent purchased in SuperValu and Centra stores around the country. For those who are interested in learning the words of the songs on the RÍ-RÁ LE HECTOR album, the lyrics will be posted on Foinse’s website, www.foinse.ie.
Foinse is free with the Irish Independent every Wednesday. For more information send an email to nuacht@foinse.ie or call 091 – 593775 .
D’éirigh Thar Barr le Comhdháil Chomhairle na Gaelscolaíochta 2012
March 26, 2012
Nolan arranges talks on need for much-needed Knocknacarra school
March 22, 2012
The Department of Education will hold a meeting with Galway city primary school principals regarding the need for a new primary school in the Knocknacarra area.
The meeting has been arranged by Labour Galway West TD Derek Nolan and a date will be set in the coming weeks.
The department has sanctioned funding for the provision of a new primary school on the west of the city citing the projected rise in the area’s population as the reason. The upcoming meeting will determine whether the data the department is using matches with what school principals are seeing on the ground.
“There is some concern that the school may not be necessary,” said Dep Nolan. “I hope the meeting will bring all the facts into the open and determine once and for all whether a new school is necessary.”
Dep Nolan said a number of schools around the city are in need of upgrading.
“With so many school building projects necessary in Galway,” he said, “it would make no sense to build a new school where existing schools are well placed to take on the extra numbers.”
Dep Nolan has also raised the exclusion of Gael Scoil Mhic Amhlaigh in Knocknacarra and Clifden Community School from the five-year school building programme with Education Minster Ruairi Quinn.
“I was very disappointed to see the exclusion of these projects,” he said. “I know these schools have been planning and preparing to start these projects for some time now and the works are badly needed.”
Dep Nolan has pledged to follow up with the minister and his officials to see what options are possible to advance the projects.
GALWAY ADVERTISER
Foirgnimh nua do Ghaelscoileanna
March 22, 2012
An Seó tallainne náisiúnta ‘Scléip’ ag dul ar aghaidh i mBaile Munna
March 21, 2012
Scléip 2012 Final, March 24th
March 21, 2012
GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. is delighted to announce that the national talent contest Scléip will take to the stage again this year. Scléip is a competition for Irish-medium and Gaeltacht post-primary school pupils, and it gives students the opportunity to stage music, dance and drama in professional theatres through the medium of Irish. 21 schools took part in the 2012 regional heats held in Dublin, Cork, Derry and Galway in February and March, and students from 15 of those schools will take part in the competition final in the Axis Theatre in Dublin on March 24th. The competition will be divided into six different categories, with a junior and senior prize awarded in each division and the Scléip Award for the best act overall.
Scléip started in 2005 and the competition has gone from strength to strength each year. Although the traditional arts were previously included in the programme, the 2012 competition focuses on contemporary arts. “We want to challenge the students and give them the chance to stage newly-composed music, song, dance and drama in front of an audience and a panel of professional judges” said Clare Spáinneach, Development Officer with GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. and manager of the Scléip competition. “The schools have really taken up the challenge and more than 500 students took part in the regional heats – which was some challenge for the judges!” she said. This year’s judging panel is comprised of professional musicians, dramatists, dancers and broadcasters, and they had high praise for the students who took part in the heats, commenting on the confidence and talent they exhibited on stage. The musician John Spillane was amongst this year’s panel, and he told students that similar school competitions gave him great inspiration as a student. We hope that the participants in Scléip go on to do as well in their chosen arts!
Another musician who took inspiration from this year’s competition is Fiachna Ó Braonáin, guitarist with the Hothouse Flowers and broadcaster for RTÉ. Fiachna is recording a series of radio programmes based on the competition and the contestants’ talent will be broadcast on Raidió na Gaeltachta in April. GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. hope that this will encourage more schools to participate in the competition in future and that more students will have the opportunity to take part in an exciting, inspiring and fun event through the medium of Irish.
GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. is the national coordinating body for Irish-medium schools at primary and post-primary level. It provides assistance and support to parents and local communities who wish to found a school and it supports existing Irish-medium schools in their development.
Students from the following schools will take part in the Scléip final in the Axis on March 24th:
- Coláiste an Eachréidh, Galway
- Colaiste an Phiarsaigh, Cork
- Coláiste Chilliain, Dublin
- Coláiste Chineál Eoghain, Donegal
- Coláiste Cois Life, Dublin
- Coláiste de hÍde, Dublin
- Gael Choláiste Chill Dara, Kildare
- Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach, Carlow
- Gaelcholaiste Chiarraí, Kerry
- Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, Limerick
- Gaelcholáiste Mhuire A.G, Cork
- Gaelcholaiste Reachrann, Dublin
- Meánscoil Gharman, Wexford
- Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, Kerry
- Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair, Donegal
Scéim GLEO: Your school on screen as Gaeilge!
March 21, 2012
Scéim GLEO: Your school on screen as Gaeilge!
Foras na Gaeilge invites your school to produce a short video clip that will show the school’s best practice in relation to spoken Irish.
Have fun with GLEO as you create an innovative short video in Irish. Schools will receive recognition at three different levels.
Tá gach eolas ar fáil ag… get more info online at… www.gaeilge.ie/gleo
Deadline for entry is Thursday 31 May 2012
Gaelscoileanna talent show Scléip to come to Ballymun
March 20, 2012
Multitalented students from Irish medium Gaelcholáistí across the country will gather on 24th March for the final of Scléip! in The Axis Theatre in Ballymun.
Gaelscoileanna Teo has been running Scléip! since 2006 and the competition, which is confined to creative performances only, has been growing ever since. The staff at Gaelscoileanna have been travelling the country in search of the most talented and creative all-Irish secondary school students.
Clare Spáinneach, Development Officer with Gaelscoileanna Teo. said that 15 schools will be participating in this year’s final. “we hope to add to that every year. I hope the students take this opportunity to meet other students from all-Irish schools”, she added.
There are four categories: Contemporary music – Solo/Group, Creative Dance – Solo/Group, Drama – Solo/Group, Miscellaneous – Solo/ Group. The miscellaneous section is open to various performances from magic shows to storytelling and all other sections are open to innovative approaches.
A series of radio programs, presented by Fiachna Ó Braonáin, following the progress of Scléip! on tour around the country will air on Raidió na Gaeltachta in April.
Irish careers seminar to visit Navan
March 20, 2012
On Tuesday 27th March Buntáiste Breise na Gaeilge, a careers seminar for senior-cycle students at second level will take place in the Newgrange Hotel in Navan.
Guest speakers set to appear at the event include Irene Ní Nualláin who is a reporter with TG4/RTÉ, Traic Ó Braonáin from Cumann na bhFiann, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, from RTÉ, Marcus Ó Buachalla from Pembroke Communications and Siobhán Seoighe who works with An Foras Pátrúnachta.
In the past three weeks similar seminars were held in Ballinasloe , Co. Galway and in Inis Co. Clare where over 500 pupils attended.
As part of the seminars, questions from the students are welcomed, which give rise to lively debate about such subjects as the future of the language, Gaeltacht status, Irish as a compulsory subject, Irish at third level, and the Government’s support for the language.
Further information about this seminar is available from Brígíd Ní Ghíofa, Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge on 01 679 4780 or by sending an e-mail to eolas@gaelport.com
Anger over decision to omit Gaelscoil from building list
March 16, 2012
PARENTS AND school management at a long-established Gaelscoil in Galway have condemned the Government decision to omit it from the latest school building programme.
The board of management and parents’ committee have promised a “campaign of action” to reverse the decision.
Galway West TD Brian Walsh of Fine Gael has also questioned why the Department of Education plans to build a new primary school in Knocknacarra, one of the city’s largest surburbs, while the existing nearby Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh has had its extension shelved.
Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh, an all-Irish, Catholic co-educational primary, was established in a rented house in the then developing western suburb of Knocknacarra on the Galway Gaeltacht boundary in 1993. It eventually moved into a purpose-built eight-class school in 1999. However, more than half of the 460 pupils on its roll have spent much, if not all, of their school life in prefabs, due to its rapid expansion. The school secured approval for an extension in 2009, and the Department of Education had already paid for architectural designers and quantity surveyors for the project.
When the department signalled inclusion of a third primary school for the suburb, it attracted patronage applications from Educate Together, City of Galway VEC, Lifeways Ireland Ltd and An Foras Pátrúnachta. Mr Walsh said that “under no circumstances should the development of a new school proceed until the needs of existing primary schools in the area were addressed”. He said he had contacted Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn, who had agreed that officials from his department would meet local school principals to discuss the demographic needs.
“Our 460 children, and teaching staff have patiently endured overcrowded and substandard accommodation for far too long and this unjust decision to shelve our building project at the 11th hour and without warning defies belief,” said Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh principal Dairíona Nic an Iomaire yesterday.
The department said that the five-year programme was focused on meeting demographic needs, and the Galway city area showed a requirement of 47 additional mainstream classrooms by 2017. This increase was concentrated on Knocknacarra in the west and Doughiska in the east, which was provided with a school in 2010. A new Knocknacarra school in 2013 would cater for extra demand, it said. It said the building project for Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh was at an advanced stage of architectural planning, with detailed design approval issued by it on January 10th, 2012, and it would “continue to advance this project”.
IRISH TIMES
