New Aitheantas employee organises public meetings for Irish-Medium Education
September 21, 2011
Caitríona Bairéad is the new Development Officer for Aitheantas, the joint campaign for Irish-medium education, and she has organised a series of public meetings for establishing local all-Irish primary schools in Co. Dublin and in Co. Kildare next week.
In light of the lack of all-Irish schools opening in recent years, Irish organisations Comhluadar, Conradh na Gaeilge, Foras Pátrúnachta na Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge and Glór na nGael joined forces last year to form the Aitheantas campaign to redress the situation, and Caitríona Bairéad will now undertake to establish new Gaelscoileanna in different areas across the country in her new role with the campaign. Aitheantas are hosting public meetings with the aim of creating founding committees for local Irish-medium schools at Draíocht, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Monday, 26 September 2011; The Maldron Hotel, Whitestown Way, Tallaght, Tuesday, 27 September 2011; and Kildare Education Centre, Friary Road, Kildare Town, Wednesday, 28 September 2011, with each meeting running from 8.00 – 9.00pm.
Caitríona Bairéad, new Development Officer with the Aitheantas campaign said: “Irish-medium education has been central to the revival of Irish in recent years, and in my role as Development Officer with Aitheantas in the coming months, I hope to determine and support the demand that is out there for all-Irish education in various parts of the country, starting with the meetings in Leinster next week.” Caitríona is no stranger to working in the Irish-language sector as she took up the post of Administration and Support Officer with the Irish-language festival Seachtain na Gaeilge in 2008, a job she held for two years, after graduating with a degree in multimedia from DCU. She undertook a postgraduate diploma in Cultural Event Management in IADT, Dún Laoghaire while working for the national festival, and she is looking forward to taking on the challenge ahead of her now in her new job promoting all-Irish education with Aitheantas.
“Now that Gaelscoil na Mí has received official recognition from the Department of Education and Skills earlier this year, I can’t wait to build on that progress and to help support parents who wish to give their children an all-Irish education,” said the Dublin-born Bairéad. “In order to ensure the rights of those parents are upheld, Aitheantas is calling on the Department of Education and Skills to include the provision of Irish-medium education in the criteria used when selecting areas for all types of new schools in future, primary and secondary schools alike, to ensure that the national demand for all-Irish education is catered for.” Caitríona Bairéad will work from the offices of the national patronage system for all-Irish schools, Foras Pátrúnachta na Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge (An Foras Pátrúnachta) in Maynooth, where both she and the staff are available to speak to anyone interested in helping the campaign for Irish-medium education in any way.
Caitríona Bairéad
Development Officer, Aitheantas
+353 (0)86 3965045 / caitriona@foras.ie
Caoimhín Ó hEaghra
General Secretary, An Foras Pátrúnachta
+353 (0)86 1738044 / Caoimhin.OhEaghra@mie.ie
