Mná tí asked to back school in all-Irish row

THE row over the Irish-only policy in a new school in Dingle deepened yesterday, with claims that women providing accommodation for students on Irish language summer courses (mná tí) are being pressurised to support the school’s policy.

A separate education group, Colaistí Chorca Dhuibhne Teo, of Ballyferriter, which runs the courses, has written to about 50 mná tí asking them to sign a letter backing the Dingle school’s all-Irish policy.

The signed letters are being sent to Education Minister Mary Hanafin and Gaeltacht Minister Eamon Ó Cuív.

A covering letter, signed by Gearóid Ó Brosnacháin, manager of Colaistí Chorca Dhuibhne Teo, said Gaeltacht people should not relinquish their right to an all-Irish education.

Also, while the Dingle area had become multi-lingual, people in the Gaeltacht had a right to education entirely through Irish.

Mr Ó Brosnacháin told the Irish Examiner yesterday: “We feel we should provide as much moral support as we can to the board of management of Pobal Scoil Chorca Dhuibhne (PCD) in the interests of the Irish language and its survival.”

PCD principal Padraig Firtear also works for Colaistí Chorca Dhuibhne Teo, but said he had nothing to do with the decision to send out the letter. He also said he had not attended a meeting of the organisation for some time.

Some parents and students are strongly opposed to the policy of education through Irish only at the 470-student PCD, which opened in Dingle in late August.

Tom Geaney, of the Concerned Parents group, claimed unfair pressure was now being put on the mná tí who provide board and lodgings for visiting summer students.

“Some of these women, who are not in favour of the all-Irish policy, have told us they’ve no option but to sign the letter because they fear students won’t be sent to them again if they don’t sign it,” he said.

“The income from keeping students is very important to these people and they can’t afford to lose it.”

About 2,600 students attend the summer language courses, which are reckoned to be worth about €2 million to the area, annually.

Mr Geaney said: “People behind the Irish-only campaign in PCD see the language as the issue, but education is the issue as far as we’re concerned. Students who don’t have a good standard of Irish can’t be expected to learn through Irish.”

However, Mr Firtear insisted nobody was being isolated in the school.

He said language support was being provided for first years and second years and they also hoped to start a homework club.

Mr Firtear also said about 25% of teaching in third, fifth and sixth years was through English.

He stressed, however, that Dingle was in the Gaeltacht and everybody in the Gaeltacht was entitled to be taught through Irish.