Blog 1: Dr Claire Dunne, Head of the English and Irish Departments at Marino Institute of Education

Claire Dunne has been Head of the Department of English and the Department of Irish at Marino Institute of Education since 2022. She has worked as a lecturer in Irish and a translator at the same institution for the past 17 years.

Previously, she was a primary teacher and worked as a translator for the company Sanas. She holds an MA in Intercultural Studies and a PhD in Applied Linguistics. She is very interested in the learning and teaching of Irish.

Learning or acquiring another language is an enriching experience that gives us different windows on the world. It allows us to tap into our creative self and explore different facets of our identity. The following series of blogs will examine the varying ways that Irish can contribute to our creative selves.

Why wouldn’t you learn Irish? Exploring the creative possibilities of language learning

Every day from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock, primary school classrooms across the country are hives of activity. The primary classroom is also the place where one of the largest communities of Irish-language speakers, native and new speakers, come into contact, chat and catch up with each other.

Since Irish was first formally introduced to the primary school curriculum in 1922, teachers have had a crucial role in caring for and helping children to develop holistically. We have amassed experience of over a hundred years of learning and teaching Irish so it is timely to reflect on how the inclusion of Irish has helped nurture our creative selves.

These are for me some of the wonders of learning Irish.

Learning Irish is important for the Arts

There has long been a close connection between Irish and the arts. Early language educators and enthusiasts recognised the role that creative experiences could play in encouraging new speakers of Irish, and to help the Irish-language arts flourish.

When Irish became a core part of the primary curriculum, singing songs in Irish and engaging with traditional arts became part of children’s learning of Irish. Indeed today, when adults asked to think back on positive memories of learning Irish, myths and legends are often recalled vividly, as well as childhood songs, poems and dramas. Children today, still report that they enjoy learning through creative, playful and child-centred methodologies and that they like having a repertoire of rhymes and poems in Irish.

Learning Irish helps children access and enjoy rich Irish-language literature

There is a very rich culture of storytelling in Ireland. Developing literacy skills in Irish gives children access to this wealth of stories, both oral and written. Some of the unique features of Irish-language literature include the special genre of An t-agallamh beirte, a poetic disputation, that has no real parallel in other languages. Access to high-quality contemporary literature in Irish can a positive impact on children’s reading experiences and perceptions of themselves as readers.

The Irish lesson is a space in the curriculum, and in the school day, where children can engage with the arts and develop language skills and creative practices in tandem.