NEWS RELEASE
Date: 10November 2015
Gaeilge24 Challenge Gets Holy Child Killiney Students Speaking Irish
25,000+ students in 200+ schools take part in biggest ever language challenge being run by Conradh na Gaeilge
Students from Holy Child Killiney are among the 25,000 pluspupils in more than 200 schools across Ireland taking part in the Gaeilge24 challenge being run by Conradh na Gaeilge today (Tuesday, 10 November 2015),an Irish-language challenge that sees students raising money for the promotion of the language by speaking only Irish for the duration of the day.
This is the fourth year of this unique annual challenge and Gaeilge24 continues to go from strength to strength: there are schools from almost every county in Ireland and more people than ever taking part in this year’s Gaeilge24. The Gaeilge24 challenge helps to open the minds of young people to the language in a relevant and enjoyable way, and gives them a positive experience of using Irish in their own lives.
The aim of Gaeilge24 is to inspire young people to speak only Irish for 24 hours on a particular day, wherever they are and whatever they are doing: at school, at home, in shops and with local businesses, with their friends, around their hometown, in sports clubs, with their families, and with teachers.
Aodhán Ó Deá, Director of Development with Conradh na Gaeilge and Manager of the Gaeilge24 challenge says:
"Conradh na Gaeilge is normalising the use of the Irish language among young people thanks to Gaeilge24, and it’s fantastic that an additional 5,000 students have registered for this year’s challenge. We have sent thousands upon thousands of support packages to schools north and south in the past few days, and here in Conradh na Gaeilge we’re very excited to have over 25,000 students speaking Irish across the island throughout the day today!”
It is the Gaeilge24 challenge participants themselves that promote and spread the use of the Irish language within whichever community they are part of, encouraging other people to talk to them in Irish and supporting everyone around them to use whatever few words of Irish that they might have throughout the day. Money is also raised on the day to help the promotion of Irish, and the global community have the chance to take part in the challenge online by using the #Gaeilge24hashtag on Twitter as well.
Ms O’ Flynn, Irish Teacher inHoly Child School, Killiney says:
“Speaking a language breathes life into it, and the Gaeilge24 challenge helps the pupils in Holy Child Killiney to speak Irish more often in their day-to-day life, and to use the language outside the classroom with their friends and families.It is the first year that we are taking part in Gaeilge 24 and we hope that the students really enjoy it and better still, that they encourage the Killiney community to use whatever Irish they themselves have. Conradh na Gaeilge’s Gaeilge24 is a brilliant challenge to get involved in, and our students can’t wait for the fun as Gaeilge to begin at school today!”
English-medium, Irish-medium, and Gaeltacht primary and post-primary schools the length and breadth of Ireland are all taking part in Conradh na Gaeilge’s latest Gaeilge24 challenge today (10 November 2015). Any profit from the day goes towards the registered charity Conradh na Gaeilge to support the promotion of Irish throughout Ireland.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Aodhán Ó Deá
Director of Development, Conradh na Gaeilge
00353 (0)86 3102691 | | 00353 (0)1 4757401
Ms O’ Flynn
Irish Teacher,Holy Child Killiney
Niamh Ní Chróinín
Student Coordinator (Second Level), Conradh na Gaeilge
00353 (0) 85 7357679 | | 00353 (0)1 4757401
Conradh na Gaeilgeis the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community, and its main aim is to promote the use of Irish as the standard language in Ireland. The organisation works on behalf of the Irish language and the people who use it throughout the island of Ireland and around the world. There are almost 180 branches of Conradh na Gaeilge and it is also possible to register as an individual member. Since the establishment of Conradh na Gaeilge on the 31st July of 1893, its members have been active in promoting the Irish language in every aspect of life in Ireland – from legal matters and education issues, to developments in the media and Irish language services. Conraitheoirí are at the forefront of campaigns to secure and strengthen the rights of the Irish-language community, and all members of Conradh na Gaeilge work hard to develop the use of Irish in their own areas. Conradh na Gaeilge runs Irish-language courses in Dublin, Ennis, Galway, Limerick, Mayo, Newry, Tipperary, and elsewhere across Ireland.More information: