Micheál Martin wants 250,000 Irish speakers by 2030

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/e...cation_procedures_and_entry_requirements.html

National University of Ireland: The minimum entry requirement for the universities that are part of the National University of Ireland (NUI) is 6 subjects, including English, Irish and a third language. In 2 of these subjects, students must have achieved grade C at Higher Level.

University of Limerick: The minimum entry requirement is 6 subjects, including English, Irish and a third language. In 2 of these subjects, students must have achieved grade C at Higher Level.

Trinity College Dublin: students need a minimum of 6 subjects, with grade C on 3 Higher-Level papers and a pass in English, maths and another language.

Dublin City University: all students applying for courses in Dublin City University must have 6 Leaving Certificate subjects, with a grade C on 2 Higher-Level papers and a pass in maths and either English or Irish.


Institutes of technology

Level 8 (Honours Degree) courses: students generally require a minimum of grade C in 2 subjects at Higher Level and grade D in 4 other subjects, including maths and Irish/English.

Levels 6 and 7 (Higher Certificate and Ordinary Degree): students require 5 grade Ds, including maths and Irish/English.


Colleges of education

Colleges of education require a minimum of 3 grade Cs on Higher-Level papers, including Irish, and three grade Ds, including maths and English.

Veering slightly offtopic but how many people felt they were fluent in a foreign language on leaving secondary? The constant refrain in these discussions is "I spent XX years learning irish and I can't speak a word".

After 6 years (or whatever) learning german or French are our schoolkids fluent?

Or are those who are reasonable at German/French etc after 6 years also reasonable at Irish?

Apologies Bronte - I had checked TCDs entry requirements and assumed it was similar for other Universities (silly me!!).

It does seem to be a requirement for many of them.

And I totally agree with you - if it wasnt a University requirement and it wasnt compulsory no doubt a lot of people wouldnt study it. Some still would though I believe.

Surely its not right to force study of a subject that many people wouldnt want to study by using the entry requirements to Universities as a barrier if you havent studied it?

It doesnt make any sense to me. Mind you Id apply that over all subjects - why would someone who studies languages at University level need a pass in lc maths? The entire system should be overhauled and people allowed to study things that interest them, with no compulsary subjects (at secondary level).

Give people a good all round grounding at primary level and then let them make their own minds up on all subject choices later.

Rovers1901 said:

Veering slightly offtopic but how many people felt they were fluent in a foreign language on leaving secondary?

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I was not good at either Irish or French - and not interested in either of them. I veer more along the maths/science subjects path of interest and ability.

Had I been allowed to drop both languages and take up a couple more science subjects I probably would have had a better leaving cert.

truthseeker said:

I was not good at either Irish or French - and not interested in either of them. I veer more along the maths/science subjects path of interest and ability.

Had I been allowed to drop both languages and take up a couple more science subjects I probably would have had a better leaving cert.

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Same as me there

I was quite good at Irish in primary but when I went to secondary there were about 8 pupils who had attended a Gaelscoil for primary so the teacher insisted on running the class at their speed and conducted every single lesson through Irish. Not one word of English was allowed in the class. Really turned me off the language and I grew to hate Irish class. Eventually I took pass-level Irish for the Leaving (changed on the day) and the teacher was disgusted.

I regret not making more of an effort in French or German class, for example when I travelled to those countries or met people from those countries.

Especially the French people!

I went back to it a few years ago.

They are so many conversational circles around.

I am not great with either verbs or grammer - but speaking it is more important.

Many non - nationals are now learning the language.

Michael Martin is 100% right on this one.

The problem with all languages are that they are taught badly and they start too late. Much the same as science.