'Young people are demanding it' - Calls for a Gaelscoil in Ardee
Independent councillor Jim Tenanty tabled a motion at the May meeting of the Ardee Municipal District calling for the local authority to write to the Minister for Education
Ardee councillors have called for a new Gaelscoil for the town.
Independent councillor Jim Tenanty tabled a motion at the May meeting of the Ardee Municipal District calling for the local authority to write to the Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton to consider the town for a Gaeilscoil.
Cllr Tenanty suggested that it could replace the premises formerly occupied by the Educate Together school.
The Independent councillor said we are living in a society that wants to promote the Irish language.
"The best way to promote it is through our young people and I know I have been contacted by parents that would love them to learn as Gaeilge."
"We should be looking at promoting our language with the new school being built and with this facility still there. I know it may need to be revamped a little bit, but if that’s not the property, I think we should be looking for a Gaelscoil going forward," he said.
The motion received unanimous support from the councillors, however, Cllr Dolores Minogue, Cathaoirleach of the Ardee Municipal District said a similar motion had previously gone before the full council.
She said former Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Cllr Kevin Callan had written to the then Minister for Education yet no response had been received.
"Hopefully we will get a quicker response to Cllr Tenanty’s motion because without a doubt we need to encourage it and the young people are demanding they have Irish, so we should be encouraging it. It’s a fantastic motion," she said,
Fianna Fáil councillor John Sheridan complimented the motion and suggested the Council could also write to different patron bodies.
"Some of the patron bodies might have the skills to deal with the Department of Education. There may be specific ones that deal with Gaelscoils that might be willing to be patrons of it," he said.
Cllr Sheridan emphasised the importance of learning Irish from a young age, and referenced his own school days in Dundalk.
"I think myself and Cllr [Pearse] McGeough went to the same school in Dundalk and our language survived from the education we got there.
Certainly the earlier children can get an education in Irish the better, and all the evidence is that it helps with foreign languages as well," he said.
Fine Gael councillor Rachel Kerley said the town is lacking a Gaelscoil and hoped to see the former Educate Together building utilised.
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