Study through Irish merits extra marks

DARRAGH CARROLL (Letters, January 11) called, in effect, for the abolition of Irish language requirements for NUI entry, as well as stating that those taking the Leaving Cert through Irish were being given extra marks unfairly.

The exact opposite is the case. Teachers of the Leaving Cert course through Irish are among the unsung heroes of our time. They struggle with the lack of Irish language texts for what is an increasingly difficult and technical exam and have to cope with the non-availability of past exam papers in Irish for almost all subjects.

A great many of the students ~taking Leaving Cert through Irish have learned Irish as a second language and face a huge burden having to use English-only textbooks in many subjects.