How do we solve a lack of places in Gaelscoilleanna?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

The Hard Shoulder, with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman, on Newstalk, with Ciara.

Shane Colman (0:08)

Now, the campaign group Imeasc today held a briefing with TDs and senators to highlight the significant gap between demand for Gaelscoileanna and the number of places available nationwide. We're joined by Aidan Kinsella, Secretary of Imeasc. Aidan, sorry, just first off, is it Imeasc as in like the Irish for among? Am I pronouncing that right?

Aidan Kinsella (0:27)

That's correct, yeah. It's a double play, it's an Irish word, and it's also Irish medium education at school just to...

Shane Colman (0:35)

Ah, I see. Okay. All right.

It hits both those buttons. Tell us what you're trying to highlight.

Aidan Kinsella (0:43)

So what we're looking at is to see what we can do so that the Irish state provides sufficient places for Gaelscoileanna and the Gael Colossi for parents who would like their children to be educated through Irish. At the minute, less than one quarter of the people who would like to have access to it at primary school level are actually getting access.

Shane Colman (1:08)

Really? That small?

So you think there's a huge demand there?

Aidan Kinsella (1:13)

Well, it's not just...

We think there's a huge demand. The Department of Education had a survey in November 2025, which was answered by 200,000 primary school and pre-school parents. And collectively, they came back that almost a quarter of all those parents would like to have their children going to a local Gaelscoile, even though most of them already are going to an English medium school and not a Gaelscoile.

Shane Colman (1:39)

So what needs to happen to meet that demand?

Aidan Kinsella (1:44)

Well, to meet the demand will require some long-term planning. But the reason that we're actually talking about this is how do we get to this situation in the first place? And what our analysis is, and not just our analysis, we've received advice from senior council that the lack of legislation is currently preventing the delivery and provision of Irish medium education by the department. In other words, the state has never formally asked the department through legislation to make provision. So public servants or civil servants, they do what they're asked to do, and if they're not asked to do something, they don't do it because they don't get brownie points to do that. So because it's never been asked, they've never properly done it.

And Gaelscoileanna opened today have been opened by parents at a local level, usually in the teeth of departmental opposition.

Shane Colman (2:42)

Okay.

So why is that opposition there, do you think? I mean, do they feel, for example, I'm trying to think of reasons, like, do they feel it might be hard to get that? I mean, Gaelscoileanna, and I know this because my own kids went to Gaelscoileanna in primary and secondary. I mean, it can be hard to fill positions in Gaelscoileanna.

Aidan Kinsella (3:03)

Well, part of that is that, you know, there's no doubt there's an issue with capacity. But what we're trying to say is, it's only by making this, you know, systemic policies and plans that will look to make sure that capacity is filled and to meet demand that we can actually start that ball rolling. So part of the reason that there's a shortage of teachers, for example, is of all the kids currently go to a Gaelscoile, only one third can actually progress and complete their education in a post-primary school or a Scaliga.

Shane Colman (3:39)

Okay.

Aidan Kinsella (3:40)

That means that there's very few actually leaving school, one become teachers that are properly fluent in Irish.

Shane Colman (3:49)

What do you make of the, I've heard this argument made, and it's one I'm kind of sympathetic to, that every school, certainly every primary school in the country should be a Gaelscoile.

Aidan Kinsella (4:00)

Well, yeah, in theory, I'd be delighted with that. But the reality is, is that we have 3,100 primary schools currently open in Ireland. Of that, 250 or so are Gaelscoileanna. To wrap that up so that every school becomes a Gaelscoile means that we'll have to employ teachers and we'll have to do a lot of work to build that capacity.

That will take decades, it won't take a year or two, it'll take a long period of time. What we're saying is, exactly for that, regardless of whether it's to meet demand or set new targets, which would be every school of Gaelscoile, we need to build a capacity.

Shane Colman (4:45)

Okay, okay.

There will be people listening and I can imagine the text will come in. I think the texts are less prevalent than they would have been five or ten years ago, but there will be people who, and they're totally entitled to this view, that will say, I don't want my kids learning Irish. We should be focusing on, they'll never get to use Irish in everyday life. I want them learning Mandarin and coding and German and Spanish instead.