Offaly primary school pupils recognised at Gaelbhratach awards
Primary school pupils from County Offaly were celebrated for their efforts in promoting the Irish language, at a special Gaelbhratach awards ceremony held at Wood Quay Venue, Dublin 8 recently.
Students from Ballybryan National School in Rhode, were presented with their Gaelbhratach in recognition of their commitment to using and speaking Irish within their school and community.
Gaelbhratach is a national initiative run by Gael Linn, that encourages primary and secondary school students to speak Irish outside of the formal classroom setting.
Commenting on the success of the initiative, Edel Ní Bhraonáin, Bainisteoir Gaelbhratach said: “The increase in participation in the scheme over the last few years has been incredible to see. It feels to me, and to all the team, that we are experiencing a very special period of growth for the Irish language, and we are so proud that Gaelbhratach continues to play an important part in this.”
“Gaelbhratach gives young people of all backgrounds the opportunity to use and develop their Irish language skills in an interactive and non-traditional way. The programme aims to put the student voice at the centre of their learning through the Gaelbhratach committee.
"The most rewarding part of the scheme is hearing feedback, from students and members of staff alike, on how they have integrated the language into their everyday lives and the impact it has had.”
Kathryn Ní Mhaoláin, TV presenter with Cúla4 and musician, presented the awards to the Offaly students and also gave a musical performance at the event.
Commenting on the scheme, she said: “Having worked as a teacher myself, I know how important a scheme like Gaelbhratach is in empowering students to use more Irish within their own communities.
"The Gaelbhratach recipients represent a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, united by a shared commitment to using and celebrating the language in their schools – and it gives great hope for the future of the language.”
Each Gaelbhratach student committee worked all year to bring the language outside of the classroom.
Some of their initiatives included Scéim na gComrádaithe, a scheme in which older and younger students were paired together to practice their Gaeilge; table quizzes; Easter treasure hunts; assemblies to start each day with news and weather as Gaeilge; football blitzes and zumba classes.