merrion street

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., encouraged schools and pupils to get involved in Seachtain na Gaeilge by organising events and activities which promote Irish language and culture.

The Minister also encouraged schools to get involved in Rith 2012. This is a national festival that runs every second year. It promotes Irish language and culture though sport in the form of a relay run that travels around Ireland with a message of support for the Irish language from the President. Significant numbers of schools and clubs participate in Rith where they see the Irish language outside of the classroom and enjoy the benefits of running and sport.

“I would encourage schools and students to get involved in these activities which encourage students to speak Irish in a fun and spontaneous environment,” said Minister Quinn.

Seachtain na Gaeilge and Rith present a real opportunity for students to use Irish in a natural way in their daily lives.  These initiatives are a welcome support to the moves to place a much greater emphasis on Irish as a spoken language in schools.

Seachtain na Gaeilge runs from the 5th to 17th March 2012 (

).  Rith 2012 runs from the 8th to 17th March 2012 (

).