All pupils at Lumen Christi receive the opportunity to learn Irish from Year 8 to 14. Pupils learn in an interactive, stimulating, and challenging environment. Pupils are further supported through the variety of extracurricular activities the Irish department have to offer. 

Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3 Irish is taught in a learning environment which fosters both confidence and respect and encourages the highest academic achievement possible for each individual student. Pupils are encouraged to recognize the acquisition of Irish as an advantage in the world of work. All pupils have the opportunity to engage with native speakers through: residential visits; trips; day excursions and talks from guest speakers. We aim to foster a love for Irish and an ongoing desire to enhance communication skills and linguistic competence.

GCSE

Students who choose GCSE Irish follow the CCEA Specification. The CCEA GCSE Irish specification develops students’ enthusiasm for the language while increasing their confidence in the four key skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The GCSE course provides a sound base for further study of Irish at a more advanced level. It also helps students make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career choices.

A Level

The A Level course in Irish builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills cultivated at GCSE. Students follow the A Level Irish CCEA Specification. It aims to enable students to develop their interest in and understanding of the language; communicate with speakers of Irish; and acquire knowledge and skills that will help them progress to further study and/or employment. At A2 the students are introduced to literature and are equipped with the necessary skills to express appreciation, develop arguments and present viewpoints.

Extra-curricular

A range of extra-curricular activities are available to students. These enhance the pupils' enjoyment and acquisition of the Irish language. An Cumann Gaelach provides junior students with the opportunity to take part in activities such as poetry, song and dance. Senior and Bunscoil students are encouraged to participate in Óráid Phoiblí. Various other events are also organised for example Céilí na Scoile, Aifreann na Féile Pádraig, An Ghaeltacht, Feis Dhoire Cholmcille and Tráth na gCeist

Where to next?

Pupils from A level Irish have progressed to further study in areas such as: 

  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Dentistry
  • Engineering
  • Accountancy
  • Bilingual Translation
  • Journalism, Media
  • Teaching
  • Language Development Officer
  • Music
  • Business
  • Social Work
  • Nursing
  • Physiotherapy
  • Radiotherapy
  • Environmental Planning
  • Architecture
  • Fashion Design
  • IT

The Irish language offers increasing career choices. In recent years, there has been a marked growth in the use of Irish throughout the country. 

An increasing number of career opportunities are now available to Irish speakers in both public and private sector career areas such as education, technology, media, publishing, childcare, community development, accountancy, law, ICT and design. Many private sector tech giants now offer their services and software through Irish, e.g. Samsung, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, WhatsApp. Having Irish will give you the competitive advantage.