Thirty-year fight for Clare’s independent Gaeilcholáiste 'coming to a head' says Clare TD
Clare has a higher proportion of Irish speakers than Kerry, and one Gaeilcholáiste to their four, according to Census 2022 data
The Dáil heard last Wednesday, June 12, of the “extraordinarily long” fight Gaelcholáiste an Chláir has had for independence from the wider Ennis Community College.
Clare TD Violet-Anne Wynne raiased the issue during the Questions on Policy or Legislation, calling for the "pressing necessity of granting or designating independence to Gaelcholáiste An Chláir in Ennis".
Census 2022 says there are approximately 67,000 Kerry Gaeilgeóirí (44%) to Clare’s 56,000 (47.1%). Clare is second only to Galway for the percentage of their population to speak Irish – and yet they have only one secondary school teaching through Irish, the Aonad Gaeilge at Ennis Community College.
Even saying that much may be an overestimation – the Aonad Gaeilge is a mere unit of the larger college and has no roll number of its own, in spite of a thirty-year fight for that recognition.
This has huge knock-on effects for gaeilgeóirí in the wider county who want to continue learning through what is supposedly the primary language of this country.
The 700 pupils from Irish language primary schools in Ennis, Kilrush, Shannon and Moy cannot even benefit from the free transport scheme supposed to support Irish language development.
Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne was appalled to learn they have been fighting since 1994 to get this recognition. “Secondary school places are extremely limited in Ennis, and we are supposed to be a Baile Lionraí na Gaeilge,” says Deputy Wynne, referring to Ennis’s designation as one of five Irish Language Network Hubs in Ireland.
“It seems, to quote the Taoiseach when I put this state of affairs to him in the Dáil Chamber, ‘extraordinary’ that there is some unknown impediment to solving one with the other by supporting an independent Gaelcholáiste an Chláir.”
Responding to Deputy Wynne's question in the Dáil last week, Taoiseach Simon Harris said that he was "not aware of the details of this case but it sounds like the school has been waiting an extraordinarily long time and there has been an extraordinarily long campaign".
"I will talk directly to the Minister, Deputy Foley, about it. We are very eager to support the development of Gaelcholáistí, particularly where there is such a demand. I will ask the Minister to revert to the Deputy on the matter," he continued.
When approached by key figures from within the Aonad Gaeilge, Deputy Wynne wasted no time before raising this in Taoiseach’s questions, and intends to raise it again when Minister for Education Deputy Norma Foley takes questions on the July 11 if no satisfactory answer emerges in the meantime.
“Deputy Foley gave a written answer in October of 2021 to say the transition from Aonad to standalone Gaelcholáiste was ‘under consideration within the Department.’ Is thirty years not enough to consider Clare worthy of the same support other counties get with a much lower proportion of Irish speakers?”
Indeed, comparisons between Aonad Gaeilge an Chláir and other similar units show a perplexing lack of consideration for Clare. Gaelcholáiste Osraí in Kilkenny was granted independence eleven years after it was founded with less than 100 students on the roll.
Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí achieved independence five years after it was founded with 64 students – less than half the number currently enrolled in the Aonad Gaeilge an Chláir.
“Is fearr go mall ná go brách,” said Deputy Wynne. “it is better late than never to give Irish a chance in Clare. Our population is ready for it – we have some truly amazing statistics for irish speakers in this county in census 2022."
"I want to see those numbers increase even further, with the amazing support and dedication of staff and students in Gaelcholáiste an Chláir," she conculded.