§ CAPTAIN DONELANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in Galway and other towns in the West of Ireland shop assistants are required to know Irish as well as English owing to many of the customers speaking Irish only; and whether, in view of this fact, an arrangement could be made to enable children in these districts to receive instruction through the medium of their native tongue during a certain period of each school day?
MR. J. MORLEYIn every national school in Ireland the following Regulation of the Commissioners is suspended for the guidance of managers and teachers:—
If there are Irish-speaking pupils in a school, the teacher, if acquainted with the Irish language, should, whenever practicable, employ the vernacular as an aid to the elucidation and acquisition of the English language.In order to encourage teachers to instruct their pupils in Irish the result fee allowed by the Commissioners for a pass therein as an extra branch to pupils of the 5th class and above is 10s., or double the fee allowed for French.
§ CAPTAIN DONELANCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether national school teachers in districts in the West of Ireland are required to possess any knowledge themselves of the Irish language?
MR. J. MORLEYI do not know that it is required, but I understand that it is considered to be a desirable qualification.