The Annual Report of the Board of Governors 2015-2016

The range of activities provided by the Irish Department in 2015-16 includes:

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  Club Mhuire which gave Irish enthusiasts the opportunity to meet on a weekly basis to engage in a range of activities, including singing, dancing and art, through the medium of Irish;
  
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  In February, Year 14 students of Irish travelled to Gaelscoil an tSeanchaí where they taught P7 pupils about St. Bridget, all through the medium of Irish.
  
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  All year 10 students participated in a language quiz which marked the European Day of Languages through the use of the 4 languages taught in St. Mary’s.
  

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  UU AS Irish Workshop– Members of the AS Irish class participated in a 1 day workshop in preparation for their AS exams in May.
  

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  A2 Literature Day – A2 students travelled to the University of Ulster, Magee, to participate in literature workshops based on their chosen topic of study for A2 Irish literature. They met with some of the poets on the syllabus and engaged with a number of prominent lecturers from the University.
  
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  Students from the GCSE Irish classes, namely Lorcán Ó Tomhnair, Lúsaí Nig Oirc and Aoife Ní Ghribín represented the school in the annual public speaking event, Abair.
  
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  The Irish department hosted international Irish language pop music sensations, ‘Seo Linn’. The group provided singing and music technology master classes culminating in a live recording of over 100 St. Mary’s Irish pupils.
  
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  Year 8 students of Irish participated in a Memrise vocabulary competition during the month of October. The winners were announced and presented with their prizes during Year 8 assembly.
  
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  During the summer months, a group of Year 8 and 9 students attended an intensive language-learning course at Coláiste Gael Linn, Machaire Rabhartaigh, approximately thirty Year 9 -12 students attended courses at Coláiste Gael Linn, Machaire Rabhartaigh and Bun an Inbhir and twenty Year 11,12 and 13 students attended Coláiste Gael Linn, Machaire Rabhartaigh.