Recent research on the use of Irish as a community language in Gaeltacht or Irish heartland areas has revealed that there is a continual decline in usage (Ó Giollagáin & Charlton, 2015). Other research reveals that native Irish-speaking pupils have a greater vocabulary knowledge in English than in Irish by age 11 (Péterváry, Ó Curnáin, Ó Giollagáin, & Sheahan, 2014). In a context where language maintenance efforts are failing in the Gaeltacht, it is worth investigating what contribution the growing sector of Irish-medium education can make to the future viability of the language. The Irish Government’s 20 year strategy for Irish sets very ambitious targets for increasing the number of daily speakers of Irish from 80,000 to 250,000 by 2030 (Government of Ireland, 2010). If this target is to be met, the education system in general would need to greatly increase the number of active bilinguals currently generated.
This study investigated the language behaviour of Irish-medium pupils (n=288) in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland and the issues which affect their use of Irish. Findings based on questionnaires to Irish-medium pupils and their parents reveal very positive attitudes towards the Irish language. The patterns of Irish language use inside and outside the school environment highlight the challenges faced in normalising minority languages where the main exposure to the language is confined to the school. The implications for the need for complementary language planning will be discussed.