Ciorcal Comhrá Iarscoile
November 2, 2011
Gaelscoil na bhFilí – School Visit
November 2, 2011
Tionól Teagaisc teaching conference
November 1, 2011
Up to 500 Irish language teachers are expected to attend a two day conference on Irish language teaching in NUI Maynooth on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th of November.
The conference has been organised by support network for Irish language teachers, An tSeirbhís Tacaíochta Dara Leibhéal don Ghaeilge, and the substantial changes to the assessment of the Irish language at Leaving Certificate level will be one of the main issues to be discussed at the event.
The conference will open on Friday 11th November and over 30 practical workshops will be given by teachers in what is expected to be the largest ever gathering of second-level Irish language teachers.
The workshops will cover new improvements in teaching as diverse as such as the use of ipads in the classroom to literacy issues.
©Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
New DVD for Irish language oral exam to be launched
November 1, 2011
All are invited to attend the official launch of the new DVD, Cuireadh Chun Cainte, which will take place during the Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival. The launch will take place, on Friday 4th November, at 6pm, in Seomra Onóra in the INEC, Killarney.
‘Cuireadh Chun Cainte’ is a practical guide from Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge and Comhar na Múinteoirí Gaeilge, for those who will be undertaking the new Irish Oral for their Leaving Certificate from 2012 on.
The programme gives students and teachers alike, an idea of what to expect in the Irish Oral exam. Students will be more comfortable preparing for the Oral, once they understand the structure of the exam. The programme is suitable for students at both Higher and Ordinary Level, as practical advice is given on to how to avoid common pitfalls, and how to undertake effective communication with the examiner.
The package is suitable for students and teachers in Gaeltacht schools, in Gaelscholáistí, and in schools who teach through the medium of English.
The official launch is open to the public and a free copy of the DVD will be presented to all who attend. Ferdie Mac an Fhailigh, Chief Executive of Foras na Gaeilge, agus Muireann Ní Mhóráin, Chief Executive of An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta will be present as special guests to officially launch the DVD. Those wishing to attend are asked to register for the event, by contacting Cillian, 01 679 4780, cillian@comhdhail.ie.
‘Cuireadh Chun Cainte’ was funded by An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta, Foras na Gaeilge, and Teacher Professional Networks.
©Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Irish Language Careers Seminar tours Munster
November 1, 2011
Calling all schools in Limerick and Waterford! Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge are soon to organise a seminar in your area on the Irish language and careers.
This November Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge will host a series of seminars titled Buntáiste Breise na Gaeilge. As the Leaving Cert class of 2011 prepare to begin their college courses soon, it is apt that the dates and venues of Buntáiste Breise na Gaeilge are now being announced. Senior cycle students in secondary schools will be given the opportunity to attend seminars in the Strand Hotel in Limerick on Tuesday, 22nd November and in the Park Hotel in Dungarvan . Co. Waterford on 23rd November 2011.
Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge have organised many of these seminar all over the country, with seminars taking place in Carrick-on-Shannon and Carrickmacross more recently.
‘The Added Advantage of Irish’ is the theme of the seminar, and guest speakers and well-known personalities will speak on the advantages which the Irish language has afforded them in their chosen careers.
Guest speakers in Limerick include the talented musician and Danú front lady Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Dónal Ó hAiniféin who is a principal at Gaelscoil Mhichíl Chíosóig will discuss his own experiences in his role in the education system while Ciara Considine who worked as a Marketing Officer and Administrator with University of Limerick and Breandán Mac Fhionnghaile who works as a Development Officer with An Clár will highlight the importance of the Irish language while promoting Irish language events and the language in Limerick and Co. Clare. Bláthnaid Ní Dhonnchadha from Co. Clare will give an insight into how she learnt Irish and now uses her Irish as a presenter.
The following day the Park Hotel in Dungarvan will be the venue as another great panel of guest speakers will speak to students in Co. Waterford and neighbouring counties.
Mairéad Ní Mhurchú who works with Nemeton, Máire Seosaimhín Breathnach who is Co. Waterford’s Irish Language officer will give an insight into her interesting post in promoting the language in the County at all levels, while Liam Ó Lonáin who is a talented footballer will discuss his own experiences in his role as a teacher.
Áine Ní Shléibhín who works with the Irish language organisation Gael Taca in the heart of Cork city will highlight the importance of the Irish language while promoting Irish language events in Cork. While Traic Ó Braonáin who is a manager with Cumann na bhFiann will give an inspirational insight into his work with youth clubs all over Ireland
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.
©Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Literacy in Irish medium schools on agenda for Gaelscoileanna conference
November 1, 2011
Gaelscoileanna Teo. will hold their national conference in the Tullamore Court Hotel, Tullamore, Co. Offaly from Friday 25 -26th November 2011.
As part of this year’s conference many lectures and educational discussions will take place throughout the two day event.
Guest speakers will give various lectures from universities and schools all over the country, various educational related workshops will be conducted throughout Friday and Saturday morning and many information stands will attend this event to circulate information regarding the Irish language and language learning resources.
©Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Careers Guidance Fair and Seminar to be held in Belfast
November 1, 2011
Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge in association with Coláiste Feirste and Forbairt Feirste will organise a careers guidance fair and jobs seminar in Belfast on Thursday 17th November 2011.
Coláiste Feirste and Forbairt Feirste have being hosting such large jobs fairs in the college in recent years and last years the fair link up the seminars for the first time ever and due to the success of the event both events they have combined forces once again this year.
The seminar will cater for secondary level students in Northern Ireland. ‘The Added Advantage of Irish’ is the theme of the seminar, and well-known personalities will speak on the advantages which the Irish language has afforded them in their chosen careers.
By linking the Fair and seminar students will get a great opportunity to sit in on one hours seminars and listen to guest speakers speak and then continue on and visit information stands.
Among the speakers will be the broadcaster Louise McCreesh who works with BBC Raidió Uladh. The talented footballer and Irish Medium Teacher Marke Harte fro Tyrone will give an insigh on how he used the Irish language to his advantage when choosing his career and the use of the language with his work with Campa Chormac and media. Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin who works as an Youth and Afterschools Officer will discuss his own experiences working with Foras na Gaeilge in Belfast.
The event is expected to be both interesting and inspirational and it is hoped that it will motivate students to consider the Irish language when choosing their career paths.
Throughout the seminar students will have a chance to ask questions of the speakers, and to take part in what promises to be a lively debate.
©Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
New Gaelcholáiste in Dundrum – Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh
November 1, 2011
For the past five years a committee made up of parents from local Gaelscoileanna (Irish language primary schools) has been campaigning for the establishment of a new Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary school) in South Dublin. We are delighted to inform you of the good news we thought we would never hear that the proposed Gaelcholáiste will open in Dundrum in 2014. The suggested name for the school, which is likely to be based at Sydenham Road in Dundrum Village, is “Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh” in honour of Pádraig Pearse, an innovative educator and founder of the first Irish language school in 1908 which subsequently moved from Cullenswood House in Ranelagh to St. Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham in 1912 where it served the community until 1932. Confirmation of the establishment of Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh was received in a Departmental letter following an official statement from Ruairí Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills during the summer of 2011.
We offer all of the parents, pupils and teachers who demonstrated such vocal support and contributed enormously to the success of the campaign our heartfelt gratitude for helping us to reach this significant milestone in the provision of genuine choice in education and the promotion and support of the Irish language in the south of our city.
While we are disappointed for the children in 6th and 5th class this year who were hoping to be able to attend the Gaelcholáiste, we are delighted that children from 4th class and onwards will now be able to avail of the choice of a top class second level education that the new Gaelcholáiste will offer. Children leaving our local Gaelscoileanna will, from 2014, have access to an improved choice of Irish language secondary schools and for many families this will be the first time they have had a genuine opportunity to seriously consider second level education through Irish for their children.
Department of Education rules about the establishment of new schools mean that the patron of the school will be chosen on a competitive basis. Co Dublin VEC has been the committee’s patron of choice since 2005 and have been extremely supportive of our campaign. The VEC will be applying to become patron of Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh and we believe that their unique combination of experience, access to resources and state funding places them in a position of strength in the selection process. The hundreds of letters of support from parents, pupils, and existing local schools along with all statements of support from local community groups and public representatives have recognised that Co. Dublin VEC was to be the school’s patron and we will be communicating this fact to the Department in a letter from the committee in support of the VEC’s application. It is expected that prospective patrons, including Co. Dublin VEC, will be issuing information to schools and parents regarding the new Gaelcholáiste in the coming weeks and a general meeting has been proposed for November 29th at a location yet to be determined.
Over the coming months and up to 2014 we intend to run a number of sporting and cultural events for the students currently in 4th class in all of the local Gaelscoileanna. We hope that this will help to generate the inter-school network of friendships which will serve as the foundation for the sense of community necessary to put the Gaelcholáiste on a strong initial footing. We will contact you with further details as events draw nearer and, as ever, all assistance in helping to organise and run the events will be most welcome.
Is sinne le mór-mheas,
Coiste Bunaithe,
Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh,
Dún Droma
An Irishwoman’s Diary
November 1, 2011
MY first starring role came this year when I was asked to take part in a small film, Cuireadh Chun Cainte , which is currently being screened at second-level schools all around the country.
The half-hour film aims to guide students through the newly structured oral Irish exam. Current Leaving Cert students will do the exam for the first time in the spring next year. The newly devised oral Irish exam will represent a maximum of 40 per cent in the Leaving Cert Irish exam as opposed to the maximum 25 per cent a student could hope to gain in the past. During September, a DVD of the film was sent to every second-level school in Ireland. The offer of the part in the film came out of the blue, when I was contacted by an executive at Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, the central steering council for the Irish language community, which co-ordinated and orchestrated the film’s making along with Irish teachers’ representative group, Comhar na Múinteoirí Gaeilge. As a former examiner of the Oral Irish exam at Leaving Cert level, I drew a little on my own experiences in the mid 1980s when I arrived to play the part. As in any exam situation, the arrival of the examiner into a school creates a maelstrom of emotions, and consequently, our film, Cuireadh Chun Cainte , could be seen as a story of fear and loathing, of trial and retribution, of birth and rebirth!
Students sit in terror outside a door, waiting to be called in by the examiner, a complete stranger, for a conversation. In my experience, it is the arrival of the examiner at a school which creates that crucial tension when students can become nervous, excited or even monosyllabic. My character had to be stern yet approachable, friendly without being overly familiar. Cuireadh Chun Cainte , which literally means “an invitation to talk”, is the story of what happens when students are asked to converse in Irish, read poetry in Irish, pose questions, talk about themselves and generally exhibit their levels of fluency in Irish. The film was made in a southside Dublin secondary school. The phonetics and clarity of the words were uppermost in our minds at all times. Éamonn Ó Dónaill, director of education at the Irish training and language consultancy, Gaelchultúr, was the film’s linguistic consultant. He was on set at all times to monitor the various dialects that cropped up. As someone who comes from the small Gaeltacht of An Rinn in the Déise in west Co Waterford, which has its own dialectic character with words, grammatical characteristics and phonetic idiosyncrasies that are found only in this one corner of the world, I was curious to know how my pronunciation of certain words and phrases would be viewed: but all dialects were treated respectfully and allowed breathe, as long as the meaning was clear at all times and the dialogue was understandable. “Sally, not Hally,” offered Tristan Rosenstock, a member of the production team, Red Shoe Productions, at one stage. “As in Lay Down Sally ,” he explained. “Maybe you’re thinking of Halle, as in Halle Berry,- quipped a voice at the back. “Always,” joked Marcus Lamb, the professional actor who plays the part of the film’s narrator.
I had to think myself into the part of the examiner as I felt that I should play a complex character, a driven educationalist, an everywoman of sorts, whose mission is to separate the wheat from the chaff, the brains from the brawn, the swots from the shirkers, the scholars from the dullards. Like me, those who play the young students in the film were also inexperienced actors. I’m convinced that Honí Ní Chuaig and Ben Ó Mathúin, both secondary pupils themselves, who play the students with speaking parts, will, in time, become stars in their own right. In their roles, they had to read, recite, converse and ask questions of the examiner. A discussion early on in the shoot helped me understand the intensity and commitment to the project of our director, Paschal Cassidy, and our producer, Maggie Breathnach, when they stopped the cameras rolling in order to make a definitive decision about my reading glasses. Should they be left on or off, they wondered. It was a kind of existential dilemma. The said spectacles can embody so much that is educative and traditional, reductive and manipulative in our psyches that it took some moments before filming continued. Mainly, the glasses were left on the table beside me for the duration of the shoot. Since making this film, I find myself watching actors such as Natalie Portman, Kirsten Scott Thomas and Nicole Kidman in a whole new light. I listen to hear how they deliver their lines. I’ve noticed how they rarely look into the camera but at the actor opposite. They impress, each appearing by turn tense, sympathetic or stressed. I find myself wondering how many takes it took to capture a particular scene, and how many times Portman had to say her lines before her director, camera man, sound man and producer all nodded happily as one and she was able to breathe and move onto the next scene. I wonder if she found it difficult to walk naturally towards a table, while steering some young person, and still manage to deliver her lines perfectly, glitch- free and in a natural and fresh way. There will be a special screening of the film at this year’s Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2011 on November 4th at 6 pm in the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney when the red carpet, undoubtedly, will be rolled out for the stars.
The Irish Times – Catherine Foley
