Méid an Téacs

CAO picks and the important Irish language question

Eanáir 6, 2015

Students may be exempt from taking Irish in the Leaving Certificate if they spent a number of years in education outside of the State or if they have some learning difficulties.

A number of colleges require students to have passed Irish to enrol. UCD, Maynooth University, UCC and NUI Galway require students to pass English, Irish and a modern European language for many of their courses.

If a student has not studied Irish or a modern European language (if they have a specific learning difficulty) in school, they may apply to be exempt from these requirements. Students must apply by completing and printing relevant forms from nui.ie/college and returning them to the NUI offices in Merrion Square, Dublin.

Trinity requires students to pass English and a language other than English. If a student is not taking Irish or any other language as a result of a learning difficulty they may apply to Trinity to be exempted. Forms are available from tcd.ie.

University of Limerick has a similar requirement for English and another language, and students can apply for an exemption in writing to the college. Applicants will find more information on the admissions section of the college website.

Dublin City University and institutes of technology require entrants to present with maths and English or Irish, therefore there is no need to apply for exemptions.