Fáiltíonn Sinn Féin roimh an fhógra go mbeidh Gaelcholáiste i mBÁC 2 – Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD & Chris Andrews TD

Chuir urlabhraí Gaeilge Shinn Féin agus TD ar son Baile Átha Cliath Lár Theas, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, agus a chomhghleacaí i gCuan Bhaile Átha Cliath Theas Chris Andrews TD, fáilte roimh nuacht an lae inniu go ndéanfar Gaelcholáiste de Na Bráithre Críostaí (CBS) ar Sráid Synge ag tosú ón scoilbhliain 2026-2027.

Dúirt an Teachta Ó Snodaigh:

“Tá pobal lárdheisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath ag feachtasaíocht le fada an lá ag lorg bunchearta dá leanaí freastal ar Ghaelcholáiste áitiúil ina gceantar féin. Tréaslaím leis an mbrúghrúpa Gaelcholáiste BÁC 2,4,6,8, le Conradh na Gaeilge, agus go háirithe leis an tuismitheoirí agus na leanaí féin a ghlac páirt in agóidí, cruinnithe, léirsithe agus iarrachtaí eile thar na bliana as an éacht atá anois bainte amach acu. Sheas Sinn Féin i gcónaí leis an bhfeachtas seo.

“Agus na céadta leanaí ag teacht amach as Gaelscoileanna i mBaile Átha Cliath 2, 4, 6 agus 8 gach bliain gan rogha acu ach iompú ar an oideachas lánBhéarla don dara leibhéal, ba léir go raibh fadhb córasach ann agus nach raibh freastal ar an éileamh. Tá ceantracha eile fud fad an stáit faraor ina bhfuil an fhadhb céanna ann go fóill, gan réiteach ar bith molta.

“Impím ar an Aire Oideachais Norma Foley gach ní a dhéanamh chun freastal ar an éileamh don Ghaeloideachas sna háiteanna sin trí thacú le scoileanna iompú go Gaeilge mar seo agus trí Gaelcholáistí nua a thógáil, agus go ndéanfaidh sí an ceart oideachas lánGhaeilge a fháil a lárnú i bpolasaithe oideachais an stáit mar atá molta ag Sinn Féin leis na blianta fada.

Dúirt an Teachta Andrews:

“Táim ar bís an nuacht seo a chloisteáil. D’ardaigh mé féin agus Aengus an cás seo leis an Aire Foley arís agus arís eile sa Dáil mar Theachtaí áitiúil, agus táim buíoch go bhfuil réiteach aimsithe anois ar an nganntanas a bhí ag cur isteach ar thuismitheoirí agus leanaí fud fad lárdheisceart na cathrach, agus ag cur srian le bláthú na Gaeilge sa cheantar.

“Tógann an cineadh seo anuas ar an dea-shampla léirithe i mBunscoil Sráid Synge béaldorais inar éirigh le hiarrachtaí Gaelscolaíocht a chur chun cinn i mbunscoil a bhí lánBhéarla i 2017, áit ina bhfuil líon na ndaltaí cláraithe tar éis méadú faoi 42% ó shin.

“Fianaise atá sa bhunscoil a chruthaíonn an t-éileamh atá ann ag croílár an ardchathair don oideachas sa teanga náisiúnta, agus tá súil ag Sinn Féin go n-éireoidh go hiontach leis an dtogra seo. Creideann Sinn Féin gur chóir go mbeadh gach leanbh in ann oideachas a fháil trí Ghaeilge.”

Sinn Féin welcomes news that Dublin 2 will get a Gaelcholáiste – Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD & Chris Andrews TD

Sinn Féin Irish language spokesperson and Dublin South Central TD, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, and his colleague in Dublin Bay South, Chris Andrews TD, have welcomed today’s news that CBS Synge Street will be made into a Gaelcholáiste (Irish Medium secondary school), starting from the 2026-2027 school year.

Teachta Ó Snodaigh said:

“The community in Dublin’s south inner city have been campaigning for years for the basic right of their children to attend a local Gaelcholáiste in their own area. I congratulate the Gaelcholáiste BÁC 2,4,6,8 pressure group, Conradh na Gaeilge, and especially the parents and children themselves who took part in protests, meetings, demonstrations and other efforts over the years on their achievement. Sinn Féin always stood with the campaign.

“With hundreds of children coming out of Irish medium primary schools in Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 every year with no choice but to switch to English medium education for second level, it was clear that there was a structural problem and demand was not being met. Other areas around the state still face the same problem unfortunately, with no resolution in sight.

“I am calling on Minister for Education Norma Foley to do everything she can to satisfy the demand for Irish medium education in those places by supporting schools to switch to Irish like this and by building new Gaelcholáistí, and that she puts the right to Irish medium education at the heart of the state’s education policies as Sinn Féin has been demanding for many years.

Teachta Andrews added:

“I am delighted to hear this news. Myself and Aengus have raised this case again and again with Minister Foley in the Dáil as local TDs, and I am grateful that a solution has now been found to address this gap that was affecting parents and children right across the south inner city, and which was limiting the ability of the Irish language to flourish in the community.

“This decisions builds on the positive example shown next door in Bunscoil Sráid Synge where efforts succeeded to advance Irish medium education in a formerly English medium school in 2017, where the number of students registered has increased 42% since.

“The bunscoil provides evidence of the demand in the heart of our capital for education in our national language, and we in Sinn Féin wish the project every success. Sinn Féin believes every child should be able to get education through Irish.”