Irish
Departmental Staff
- Head of Department: Miss C.McCoy
- Mr S.Quinn
- Mr S.Mooney
- Miss R.Moore
- Miss C.Booth (Language Assistant)
Subject Information
Fáilte romhaibh go Roinn na Gaeilge, Ardscoil Naomh Pól.
Irish is an extremely important aspect of life in St Pauls. It is embedded into everything we do and spoken often in daily school life. Irish is studied by all students when they enter St Paul’s in Year 8 and they have the opportunity to study Irish to A-Level which brings them to a high level of fluency in the language. We are very proud of the special status Irish has in the life of St Paul’s and we endeavour to instil a sense of pride for the language in our students.
Many students from an Irish-medium background attend St Paul’s and contribute greatly to the life of the Irish department.
A great number of students in St Paul’s spend their summer in the Gaeltacht area of Donegal, improving their spoken Irish and making new friends.
Throughout the school year, St Paul’s students have the opportunity of attending our Key Stage 3 Club na Gaeilge, Feis Ard Mhacha and the Gael Linn Quiz. Our Year 11 and Year 13 students have the opportunity to participate in our Blas na Gaeltachta trip each year to Rannafast in the Donegal Gaeltacht.
Many St Paul’s students proudly wear their cúpla focal badge and their silver and gold fáinní on their uniform.
The Irish department has been recognised by Foras na Gaeilge as a centre of excellence for spoken Irish with the GLEO award – Gaeilge Labhartha san Earnáil Oideachais and has achieved many awards for our productions in the Irish Drama festival – Féile Scoil Dramaíochta.
We are extremely proud that many of our students continue to study Irish at University level when they leave St Paul’s.
Curriculum – Key Stage 3
Irish at Key Stage 3 covers a wide range of topics in accordance with the Curriculum. The focus in the Department is on spoken language and students are actively encouraged to speak Irish both inside and outside of the classroom.
Students get the opportunity in Key Stage 3 to achieve the ‘cúpla focal’ badge and their ‘silver fáinne’. Most students study Irish for two periods a week in year 8 and three periods a week in year 9 and 10. Students from an Irish-medium background may be offered the opportunity to complete the GCSE Irish exam in Key Stage 3.
Curriculum – GCSE
GCSE Irish is very popular option in St Paul’s. GCSE Irish covers a wide range of topics and gives students the opportunity to develop their language skills and widen their awareness and understanding of Irish-speaking communities. GCSE Irish focuses on the practical use of Irish and is a sound basis for progression to further study, higher education or employment.
In Year 11, students get their first opportunity to attend the Blas na Gaeltachta trip in Rannafast, Co. Donegal.
Curriculum – AS / A2
Every year, students in St. Paul’s have the option of studying Irish at AS and A2 Level. The AS/A2 course consists of grammar, language and literature study. The students study Irish short films and poetry at AS/A2 level. Students studying A-Level Irish in St Paul’s attend 8 periods of Irish per week and an extra lesson with the language assistant. Most of the lessons are conducted in Irish and students who complete the A-Level course have a high level of fluency in the language at the end of the Year 14. We collaborate with St. Joseph’s Crossmaglen and students from St. Joseph’s travel to St. Paul’s to study Irish at this level.
Many A-Level students develop their skills in Irish by teaching Irish in the local primary schools and volunteering during the summer in Irish camps and at the Michaela camps.
