President’ s Address

I warmly welcome you to Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick. Since the foundation of the State, Irish language teaching has been an integral component of all professional Initial Teacher Education programmes at MIC.

Today, hosting more than 5,000 students across 2 large campuses, MIC offers programmes in Primary and PostPrimary Education, Liberal Arts and Early Childhood Care and Education, as well as a range of postgraduate programmes at Diploma, Masters and PhD levels. The College is a leading and influential contributor to the education system nationally, and is justifiably renowned for the high calibre of its graduates and their immense contribution to schooling in Ireland. For some decades past, MIC has been at the vanguard of innovation in the field of continuing professional development for teachers.

In keeping with the mission of the College, we are deeply mindful of our responsibility to support and enrich pedagogical competencies, leadership and research in language immersion and Gaeltacht education. We are especially proud of our contribution to the field of immersion education and research. Since 2012, MIC has offered an MEd in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht Education programme, the first hybrid cross-sectoral programme in the Republic of Ireland designed specifically for immersion educators and other professionals in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht education. We also offer a Postgraduate Certificate programme (An Teastas Iarchéime i dTeagasc Ábharbhunaithe (TTA) san Iarbhunscolaíocht Lán-Ghaeilge agus Ghaeltachta) since 2021. This postgraduate programme attends to professional development requirements as well as the mandatory language proficiency required to teach content through Irish in Irish-medium (Gaelcholáistí) and Gaeltacht post-primary schools as well as Irish-medium units (Aonaid Lán-Ghaeilge).

The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future (2020), includes a commitment to provide a comprehensive policy for the Irish language from early learning and care settings to third level. The ambition, as set out in the Programme for Government, is to foster Irish as a living language and to build on the foundations of an education system that recognises, encourages and actively works to promote Irish as a daily spoken and written language. The development of a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of Gaeltacht areas will be an important step towards achieving the overall target in the Programme for Government and will build on progress made in the implementation of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022. These important policies will provide a framework for the delivery of high-quality Irish-medium education in Irish-medium schools and early learning and care settings located in and outside of Gaeltacht areas.

Meaningful professional dialogue, critical reflection and collaborative inquiry are key at this critical juncture for the continued success and growth of Irish-medium and Gaeltacht education in Ireland, as well as language immersion and minority language education across the globe. This two-day event provides opportunities for immersion researchers and Irish-medium immersion and immersion educators internationally, to critically reflect on and share research in the context of immersion education, providing the space to exchange and discuss new directions in the ever-evolving field of immersion education.

Accordingly, I hope that this conference, an Tríú Comhdháil Taighde Uile-Oileánda ar an Tumoideachas, will be an engaging and impactful learning experience for you. The conference also provides a valuable opportunity to catch up with colleagues and network with a global community of immersion educators and scholars.

I wish you every success in your discussions and your debates here with us.