Early total immersion was a contested area for many years in the Republic of Ireland. The provision of a two-year immersion period in infant classes (4-6 year olds) in Irish-medium schools in the Primary Language Curriculum (NCCA, 2016) may have put an end to the debate to some extent. Questions still remain, however, for teachers of native Irish-speaking (L1) pupils. Should these pupils not be introduced to English at the earliest possible opportunity recognising that we live in an English-dominated society?
This paper will examine the research literature with a view to establishing what basis there might be for delaying the teaching of English to native Irish speakers. Ó Duibhir & Cummins (2012) argued that skills such as literacy skills learned in one language can transfer to other languages. This argument could be viewed both ways to state that it does not matter then which language is engaged in first as the skills will transfer from one to the other.
Other research of L1 pupils in Gaeltacht heartland areas has found that the English vocabulary knowledge of these pupils was superior to that of their Irish vocabulary despite Irish being their home language and the predominant medium of schooling (Péterváry et al., 2014). It has been argued that L1 Irish speakers are experiencing incomplete acquisition and therefore their exposure to English should be further delayed. These and other issues will be examined to provide guidance for teachers of young L1 Irish speakers.