§ MR. O'DOWD (Sligo, S.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the teaching of Irish will be placed on an equal footing with that of English in the new University; and whether Irish history and language will be made compulsory subjects at the matriculation examination.
§ MR. O'DOWDTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether lie can state the number of those composing the senate of the proposed University for Belfast who possess a knowledge of the Irish language; and will he say what steps, if any, are being taken to insure that the Irish language shall be taught in the University about to be established there.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) All questions concerning the studies to be pursued in the new Universities will, in the first instance, be for the consideration of the Commissioners when framing the statutes, and subsequently for the senates of the Universities. It is not intended to impose any obligation upon these bodies as to the inclusion of Irish language and history or any other particular subject. I have no information as to the number of the members of either the proposed Belfast or Dublin senate 1611 who may be acquainted with the Irish language.