Is the Irish language a useless school subject or does it simply need a revival? 

On this week’s debate with Pat Kenny, the future of the Irish language in schools is under scrutiny. The subject is currently compulsory in primary and secondary schools for those who do not have a learning exemption.  

Irish Independent columnist Ian O’Doherty said, “If you want to make a kid hate a subject, make it compulsory”.  

"The way Irish was taught to me in school, it was something to be afraid of not, something to be cherished,” he said.  

“There was no sense of inculcating a love of the language.” 

Mr O’Doherty said the only subjects that should be compulsory are English and maths because they offer “life skills” that Irish does not.  

He said TG4 has done more to make Irish appear to be a “sexy and vibrant language”, but making it compulsory in schools is a waste of time.  

Popularity

Conradh na Gaeilge representative Julian de Spáinn argued young people today are far more supportive of the Irish language than generations before.  

He said surveys show the majority of young people prefer to keep Irish compulsory in schools.  

“Because of more travel and the internet, I think people are looking for what helps identify themselves,” he said.  

Mr de Spáínn said the biggest societies in most third-level institutions are Irish societies, showing a change from his own time in college.  

“Students actually liked the language, enjoy the language, want to use the language more, but don't get that opportunity to do,” he said.  

Reform

Mr de Spáinn said compulsory Irish does not need to be scrapped but reformed. 

“[Students] said Irish was a hard subject,” he said. “It's not harder than the other languages to learn, it’s harder than other subjects in school.” 

He said the Irish education system should introduce a framework based on the European Common Framework of Reference and Language.  

Mr de Spáinn argued there should be more cohesion and collaboration between the different school levels to help students learn Irish.  

“If you're actually changed system and have a more of an emphasis on the spoken language from day one from preschool into primary school to secondary school,” he said. “The students themselves would have a better command of the language."

Second languages

He also suggested introducing Irish courses in college open to all students so they can learn how to work in their chosen fields in both English and Irish.  

Mr O’Doherty argued learning a second language is useful, but Irish is only spoken in this country and has no value abroad.  

“Some frontline health workers in this country are Filipino,” he said. “You can’t expect them to speak Irish.” 

Mr O'Doherty said if people want to learn Irish in their own free time, they should “knock themselves out”, but repeated that making a subject compulsory only makes a child hate the subject.

“I do think that there will be greater if everybody had a second language,” he said. “But as far as I'm concerned, that doesn't have to be Irish.” 

“There are better and more relevant languages to teach.”