The Basque language experience: Lessons for Ireland

by maverick - the rock that doesn't roll Tue Mar 24, 2009 08:26

the real language lessons for Ireland were in 1922, when the Minister of Education stated:

"you may as well put wooden legs on chickens as make Irish compulsory in schools ".

talk about a prophet before his time. talk about a timely pertinent message being totally ignored for the best part of 80 years. ideology over culture killed the spirit stone cold dead.

it's a real shame that Irish has been officially been recognised as an endangered language recently. why can't we be more creative like the Welsh? there, people are not embarrassed speaking it. and what about Hebrew, revived after 2,000 years.

as one of many who learnt irish by force & as one of the few Protestants that went to the gaelteacht, i mourn my pathetic inability to go beyond coupla focal.

Ag duine féin is fearr a fhios cá luíonn an bhróg air.
The wearer best knows where the shoe pinches.

by Me Fein. Tue Mar 24, 2009 16:13

The teaching methods never changed a jot over 90 years.

Everybody knew that the teaching methods were giving pupils a hatred and an aversion to the language.

Yet the entire educational establishment continued on its same old course.

Amazingly they are doing the same thing right now today.

It doesn't seem to bother teachers or inspectors or Dept. of Education officials to this day.

A good teacher teaches enthusiasm for a subject.
The newly enthused pupil will do the learning him/her self.

The Irish educational establishment put Irish on the Endangered list.

.