New school patrons announced
July 26, 2012
The patrons for 14 new secondary school were announced by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn this morning, including one in West Dublin under the responsibility of Educate Together.
It is the first time the multi-denominational patron has been given responsibility for a post-primary school. The school will be based in Blanchardstown. Educate Together will also share the patronage of another school in Drogheda Co Louth with the County Louth Vocational Education Committee (VECs).
A second post-primary school will also come under the patronage of the same VEC and four other VECs in Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Meath and Cork will act as patrons to eight schools.
A Church of Ireland patronage post-primary will be opened in Greystones, Co Wicklow and Le Chéile Schools Trust, a Catholic organisation, will have responsibility for a school in Mulhuddart, Dublin 15. Two new schools in Balbriggan and Dundrum in Dublin will be under the patronage of Gaelscoileanna patronage body An Foras Pátrúnachta.
Four of the new schools, all VEC, will open in September 2013 and 10 will open the following September.
Making the announcement, Mr Quinn said in deciding on patronage he “was particularly conscious of taking into account the clear parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage”.
“I am particularly pleased that Educate Together will be patron in one school and co-patron in a second school, given that Educate Together was officially recognised by me as a second level patron just one year ago,” he said.
“I am also pleased that for the first time in a generation a new Catholic and a new Church of Ireland voluntary secondary school are to open. This demonstrates clearly that I and the Department are committed to diversity of ethos and respect for parental choice.”
IRISH TIMES
Patrons of new secondary schools announced
July 26, 2012
There will be 12 schools that will be run by secular bodies, while religious organisations will run the other two.
Four of the new schools will open in September 2013 and the remainder will open the following year.
The new schools are in response to a massive population surge.
The VECs have been awarded patronage of the bulk of the new schools.
Irish language body An Foras Pátrúnachta will run two, both in Co Dublin suburbs.
Educate Together has been awarded patronage of one school in Dublin’s Blanchardstown, but it will also share patronage of a new school in Drogheda with the local VEC.
The education body, which currently acts as patron only at primary level, has expressed delight with the news.
The religious schools sector is also happy.
For the first time in more than 20 years, two new religious secondary schools will open.
There will be a Catholic school in Mulhuddart in Dublin and a Church of Ireland school in Greystones, Co Wicklow.
RTE.IE
Minister Quinn announces patronage of 14 new Post-Primary schools to be established in 2013 and 2014
July 25, 2012
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., today announced his decisions on the patronage of new post-primary schools to be established in 2013 and 2014.
The successful patrons are:
- Blanchardstown West, Dublin 15 – Educate Together
- Drogheda, Co. Louth – Joint patronage County Louth VEC and Educate Together
- Mulhuddart, Dublin 15 – Le Chéile Schools Trust
- Greystones, Co. Wicklow – Church of Ireland
- Lusk, Co. Dublin – County Dublin VEC
- Claregalway, Co. Galway – County Galway VEC
- Naas, Co. Kildare – County Kildare VEC
- Navan, Co. Meath – County Meath VEC
- Maynooth, Co. Kildare – County Kildare VEC
- Dundalk, Co. Louth – County Louth VEC
- Ashbourne, Co. Meath – County Meath VEC
- *Balbriggan, Co. Dublin – An Foras Pátrúnachta
- *Dundrum, Co. Dublin – An Foras Pátrúnachta
- *CorkCity – South Suburbs/ Carrigaline – County Cork VEC
*These schools will be Gaelcholáistaí providing instruction through the medium of Irish
Announcing the patronage of the new schools, Minister Quinn said, “In making the decisions on the patronage of these new schools I was particularly conscious of taking into account the clear parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage. The successful patrons include those of a Catholic ethos, Church of Ireland ethos, multi-denominational and Gaelcholáistaí.”
“I am particularly pleased that Educate Together will be patron in one school and co-patron in a second school, given that ET was officially recognised by me as a second level patron just one year ago. I am also pleased that for the first time in a generation a new Catholic and a new Church of Ireland voluntary secondary school are to open. This demonstrates clearly that I and the Department are committed to diversity of ethos and respect for parental choice.”
“I am confident that these new schools, alongside the existing schools in each area, will mean that parents and students have real choice when it comes to deciding which school most reflects their own ethos.”
Today’s announcement is the culmination of the process which began in June 2011 when the Minister announced that 20 new post-primary schools were to be established up to 2017 across a number of locations to cater for increasing pupil numbers.
At that time the Minister also announced new criteria and arrangements for the recognition of the new schools. The arrangements included the establishment of a New Schools Establishment Group, an independent advisory group, to advise the Minister on the patronage of the new schools following its consideration of a report prepared by Department officials. The New Schools Establishment Group reported to the Minister at the end of June.
Patrons were asked to provide evidence of parental demand when making an application for a new school. In addition, the criteria used in deciding on patronage included how the proposed schools under the respective patrons would provide for extending or strengthening diversity of provision in each area, having regard to the views of parents.
The Minister expressed his thanks to the members of the New Schools Establishment Group for their valuable input to the process. Minister Quinn said, “I initiated the revised system for the establishment of new schools and the appointment of the school patron so that it would be an objective and transparent process. The role of the New Schools Establishment Group is critical to achieving these aims and I want to thank them for their work in this area.”
Department officials will shortly contact each of the patron bodies in regard to the logistics of the establishment of these new schools.
Four new post-primary schools will open in September 2013, all of which will be under the patronage of the local Vocational Educational Committee (VEC).
Ten new post-primary schools will open in September 2014. Of these, four will be under VEC patronage, one will be under the patronage of Le Chéile Schools Trust, two will be under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta, one will be under the patronage of the Church of Ireland, one will be under the Patronage of Educate Together and one school will be under the joint patronage of a VEC and Educate Together.
In the case of both Maynooth, Co. Kildare and Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, the Department noted the high level of parental demand identified as part of this process for alternative language provision in these areas. In light of this, the Department will be making provision to cater for this alternative demand in both of these areas in the medium term.
The report of the New Schools Establishment Group to the Minister can be found at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Establishing-a-New-School/New-Primary-Schools/?pageNumber=2. Minister Quinn accepted the recommendations of the Group in all cases.
School Joy for Carrigaline
July 25, 2012
A new 500-pupil secondary school is to be built in Carrigaline.
The Department of Education is set to confirm funding for the new gaelcholáiste under the patronage of the County Cork VEC. The new school has been planned for a number of years and a large site has already been purchased at Ballinrea to the north of the town. The county council subsequently rezoned the land from agricultural to education use.
Labour TD Ciarán Lynch said a specific timeline for the school’s construction has not been given but said he expected work to start before the end of the year and the school to start accepting pupils from September 2014.Approval of funding by the Department of Education reflects the rapid population growth in Carrigaline over the past decade.
Carrigaline Secondary School is the only post primary school in the suburban town and has more almost 1,000 pupils enrolled there.“This is very welcome news that funding has now been approved by the Department of Education. The County Cork VEC have been seeking this for many years,” Deputy Lynch said.“This is a response to the rapid growth in the area and the number of school projects both at primary and post primary levels that will be carried out in Carrigaline in the coming years reflects this increase in population,” he said.
The Carrigaline Gaelcholáiste will join numerous other all-Irish secondary schools in areas such as Glanmire, Ballingeary, Ballymakeera and Cork city. All-Irish units are also attached to secondary schools in Ballincollig, Clonakilty and Youghal.
€2,000 Scholarships available for students
July 24, 2012
Fiontar have announced that five scholarships to the value of €2,000 will be made available to students undertaking the MSc in Business and Information Technology in the coming year.
The MSc is a part-time course aimed at graduates who intend to pursue a career in managerial and development roles within the private and public sectors.
Students are prepared for careers within the private and public sectors through the provision of the most up to date expert skills in business and technology.
The MSc is a taught programme, completed over two years by attending weekend classes on the DCU campus in North Dublin.
Scholarships:
5 scholarships with a value of €2,000 will be awarded to the 5 best students of the MSc programme at the end of the first year. The selected students will cover the costs of the first year, however, as the MSc is officially recognised by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) under the Required Skills programme, a total cost of €2,750 applies to the course.
The MSc in Business and Information Technology is taught through the medium of Irish and fluency in both written and spoken Irish is a requirement for this course.
Further information: Sally Mhic Dhomhnaill 01 700 5614
www.dcu.ie/fiontar, fiontar@dcu.ie
Tús curtha le cainteanna maidir le Samhail #2
July 24, 2012
Countdown begins to Belfast’s Féile an Droichid Festival
July 24, 2012
For the fourth year in a row, Féile an Droichid is set to run from 23-26 August in Belfast with a jam-packed schedule of events prepared to suit every age group.
The festival will kick off on 23 August at 8 pm at ‘The Mac’ with a special concert featuring famous sean-nós singer, Iarla Ó Lionáird from Cúil Áodha, West Cork and traditional guitar hero, Steve Cooney from Melbourne Australia.
Over to ‘The Droichead’ at 7.45 pm on Friday 24 August, where a well-known pairing of musicians, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Breandán Ó Beaglaoich will be conjuring up a whirlwind of accordion and fiddle music. Caoimhín is no stranger to the festival as himself and Iarla Ó Lionáird made an appearance with the contemporary music group ‘The Glaoming’ for the main event last year.
On Saturday, 25th August at the same time and place, a fusion of bouzouki, concertina, uilleann pipes and keyboard will be performed by Dónal Lunny Pádraig Rynne, John McSherry and Graham Henderson. This is the first time for this group to play together although all performers are well known as solo musicians.
Among the other events taking place at the weekend will be a screening of two hugely influential Irish language films ‘Mise Éire’ and ‘Poitín’ at the QFT (Queens Film Theatre), an exhibition of records at Ulster Hall, intensive Irish / Scottish Gaelic courses, concertina and bouzouki workshops with Pádraig Rynne and Dónal Lunny, flute and fife classes and well as plenty of informal sessions throughout the festival.
A Graffiti Session and Movement Class for children will also run as part of the festival. Full details for all events will be available on www.androichead.com.
GAELPORT.COM
Area faces € 1m loss as college pulls plug
July 23, 2012
WHEN a third- level college pulled the plug on its association with a Gaeltacht area, the local community looked to re- invent itself.
The Iveragh Gaeltacht in south Kerry is smaller and lesser known than the more established Gaeltacht of the Dingle Peninsula – with which it competes for students. It decided to focus this summer on courses that target families – but that didn’t work either.
Situated about 10km south of Cahersiveen, near Ballinskelligs, the Iveragh Gaeltacht is spread across three parishes with a population of around 2,000. When the teacher- training e- learning college Hibernia College announced earlier this year that it would no longer be sending students, locals were faced with an estimated € 1m loss to the local economy.
“We decided we’d offer holiday packages to families where they could come and stay in rented cottages and attend Irish classes,” said manager of Comhchoiste Ghaeltachta Uibh Rathaigh, Caitlin Breatnach.
“While there was demand for it, there simply wasn’t enough for it to work this year.
“There definitely is potential to develop it but it’s just about getting the word out,” Ms Breatnach added.
The Iveragh Gaeltacht had hosted about 1,000 students from Hibernia College over the past three years, and they used to stay in rented houses in the area. It also provided 21 teaching jobs throughout the season.
www.independent.ie
Students shun Gaeltacht trips
July 23, 2012
Fall in numbers as more sign up to learn foreign language
THOUSANDS of students are signing up for foreign language courses at home and abroad as trips to the Gaeltacht have been hit by a 15pc fall in numbers.
Fewer than 24,000 children are expected to travel for summer Irish courses this year, down from 28,000 in 2008.
However, agencies running summer courses in French, Spanish and other foreign languages are reporting record numbers.
Official figures from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht show a continuous decline in the numbers heading for the Gaeltacht in recent years.
Leaving Cert marks for oral and aural Irish have been almost doubled to 45pc of the total exam during that time – increasing the importance of spoken Irish.
But that has failed to halt the decline in course numbers in the Gaeltacht, which Irish colleges’ umbrella group Concos has described as “dramatic”.
“The numbers continue to plunge year on year. They are down by about 20pc on the peak. It is definitely a reaction to the economic downturn,” said spokeswoman Maria Nic Dhonncha.
Ms Nic Dhonncha added that the costs of running the schools continued to rise.
She said this meant that reducing the charge – which is typically between € 750 and € 900 for a three- week residential course – was not an option.
The only state subsidy is the € 9.50 per day paid to the Bean an Ti for each student staying with her, and this was cut by 10pc over the last two years.
Sean O Casaigh, secretary of Colaiste Chorca Dhuibhne in west Kerry, confirmed numbers were down “significantly”.
“There has been a 20 to 25pc decrease in numbers since 2008,” he said.
However, the director of the European Language College, Donie McCormack – where students take three- week French and Spanish language summer courses – said the downturn had little impact on business.
Education
“Our numbers are on the rise, I think parents will always prioritise education, no matter how tight things are,” said Mr McCormack.
The Horizon Education School offers summer schools in English, French and Spanish. Its owner, Frank Noone, said more than 3,000 students had signed up for summer school so far this year – the largest number to date.
“Thankfully business is doing very well, the numbers are up by 25pc on last year,” he said.
Horizon charges € 500 a week for its summer language school.
Similarly, there has been a significant increase in the numbers travelling for courses.
Lingoo, a multilingual European- based website, which allows parents to find foreign families who host students for language holidays, said the increase in demand from Irish parents was “striking” this year.
www.independent.ie
‘It’s hard work but has huge economic importance to region’
July 23, 2012
Kitty Hutchinson has welcomed students to her west Kerry home for over 30 years.
The income she has earned as bean an ti has helped put her four daughters through college.
Although the number of students attending summer courses has dropped in recent years, Mrs Hutchinson remains hopeful about the future.
She said the restructuring of the Leaving Certificate Irish exam marking system to put more emphasis on the oral and aural exams has helped the situation.
But she believes the only way the Gaeltacht summer courses will survive is if Gaeilge remains a compulsory subject on the Leaving Cert curriculum.
“There has been a noticeable decline in numbers since about 2008 with the recession but what has had more of an impact is a new rule that restricts the number of students in any house to 14,” Mrs Hutchinson told the Irish Independent.
Rewarding
Like many of her neighbours in Feothanach – 13km north west of Dingle – Ms Hutchinson is kept busy during the summer catering for three three- week courses, one each in June, July and August.
Depending on how many students they keep, the mna ti can expect to earn between € 10,000 and € 15,000 gross on average.
But it is hard work. They are expected to provide a home environment for the students, provide them with three square meals a day of nutritious food and snacks and spend time with them so that they have every chance to improve their Irish. They are literally on call 24/ 7.
“It is hard work, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s very rewarding and I’ve enjoyed it. Otherwise I wouldn’t be still doing it after 30 years,” she added. “It’s of huge economic importance – not only to the mna ti but to the whole region,” she said.
But ultimately, the courses work because the students enjoy the experience and want to return, she added.
www.independent.ie
