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Subject Aims/Rationale

• Here in St Mary’s High School, we aim to provide a holistic and student centred approach to the learning of Irish. ​
• Students are given the opportunity to express themselves through various means of communication and literacy skills​
• Students are provided with an enjoyable, rich and varied classroom environment ​
• Students engage in a range of texts in various ways and gain an appreciation for Irish literature.
• Studying Irish helps students to build on their learning to date and to enhance their skills so they can enjoy using the Irish language. Through learning languages, students are provided with the opportunity to gain the understanding, knowledge and skills to develop their personal, cognitive and social development, as well as their effective participation.​
• By learning, acquiring and using Irish, students discover information, develop thinking skills, and express opinions and emotions.​
• A particular level of competence in the Irish language is required in different employment areas in Ireland and overseas.​
• By studying Irish, students are given the opportunity to identify with the language community4 and participate in it.​
• By thinking about and studying Irish and elements of the Irish culture, students’ awareness of the culture of the language grows. Often this appreciation encourages students to consider their own place in the world and to think about cultural identity.

Assessment

• A mark is awarded after two years of preparation for the Junior Certificate.​
• Over the two years after first year, pupils study two short stories, one complete play, five poems or songs and one complete novel (for Higher Level only). ​
  Assessment is done on an ongoing process which includes the keeping of a Portfolio of pupils’ work, two Classroom-based Assessment, a Assessment Task set by the SEC during the school year and finally, a Written  examination in June of the third year.​
  The pupils’ language portfolio allows the pupils to display their choice of classwork and the classroom-based assessments allow for the informal assessing of pupils. The emphasis can then be on their oral and interactive skills, which are not assessed in the final June exams. These tasks help to track the pupils’ progress over time.