Newbridge’s Irish speaking youth ‘club wins ‘club of the year’ award at the RDS
October 1, 2012
The Newbridge branch of Cumann na bhfiann, an Irish language youth club in the town celebrating after winning the ‘club of the year’ last week.
The Newbridge club Cumann na bhFiann, the Irish language youth organisation set up only two years ago, was awarded the Club of the Year last week at the RDS.
The Newbridge club, which was set up for primary school students, and is hugely popular is to provide young people with the opportunity and the outlet to speak the language in a fun a friendly environment outside of the school structure. Michelle Reddy, from the Green Road is a past pupil of Cumann na bhFiann and the leader of the Newbridge youth club.
“I am so delighted our club has won this award,” she said. “I wanted there to be a branch of Cumann na bhFiann in Newbridge because I know first hand the positive benefits of having an outlet to speak Irish on a regular basis. “Often I hear young people saying that they ‘hate’ Irish. “This is generally because they have spent so many years studying the language but cannot speak it and they fail to see the relevance of learning it. “I believe the only way you can learn a language is to practice it, and speak it often. That is what we do in Cumann na bhFiann, we give the opportunity to young people to practice Irish every week in a fun and friendly environment”.
There are two other branches of the club in Kildare, in Naas and Athy. The aim of Cumann na bhFiann is to provide young people with the opportunity and the outlet to speak the language in a fun and friendly environment outside of the school structure. The positive benefits of this, the club claims, are that the language becomes ‘a vibrant method of communication and students become more confident in speaking it’.
The Newbridge club started back last week after the summer break. It will run every Friday from 5.00pm to 6.30pm in Scoil Mhuire junior school until Easter 2013. There are currently limited spaces in the club for students from 4th class to 6th class. The Naas club is for secondary school students and is held in Naas CBS every Friday from 7.00pm to 8.30.
Meanwhile the Athy club is held in scoil Mhichil Naofa every Friday from 7.00 to 8.30pm. Cumann na bhFiann is the after care service of Coláiste na bhFiann. Coláiste na bhFiann has 45 years’ experience running Irish Summer courses. These three week residential summer courses are run countrywide in the following centres – Ros Muc, Co. Galway, Ráth Cairn and Droim Rí, Co. Meath, Sligo, Baile an Sceilg and Killarney, Co. Kerry. Anyone interested in membership or further informaton can call Cáit on 087 9160819. All are welcome to attend.
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