FORMER Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visited Coláiste Feirste this morning to learn more about the huge growth in Irish Medium Education and the need for state partners to 'future-proof' the expansion of the sector.
Mr Varadkar met with staff and pupils who shared their vision for the future development of the school.
Pupils described how the Irish language had grown their confidence and gave them a passion for developing a diverse Irish language community.
Speaking after the visit, Coláiste Feirste Principal Micheál Mac Giolla Ghunna said he was delighted to welcome the former Taoiseach to the school.
“Leo heard how we use our Irish-medium ethos to deliver not just excellence in education but to create a powerful and caring environment for our young people to develop as confident and proud Gaels," he said.
“We have grown a vibrant Irish language community from our base in the Gaeltacht Quarter, leading to challenges for us in terms of accommodation and teacher provision. But far from limiting our ambitions, we are now using the Spórtlann facility and initiatives like our GaelStair heritage project to offer our pupils and the wider community further opportunities.”
Coláiste Feirste Governor Seán Mistéil said he shared ambitious expansion plans with the former Taoiseach. “Mr Varadkar joined us on the brink of an exciting new chapter in the history of Coláiste Feirste as we work to identify an additional school site," he said.
“We also shared the latest innovation in our community development plan, which is to build a new Irish Language Heritage and Interpretive Centre, An Spás Dín.
“This state-of-the art facility at Spórtlann na hÉireann will tell the remarkable history of the contemporary Irish language revival, from the founding of Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoighe and the first Gaelscoileanna onwards.
“We want to lift the sights of young Gaeilgeoirí in this city, to ensure they are proud of our community’s history and our visionary pioneers, and that they will have the historical reference points necessary to drive the Irish language forward into the future.”
