Subjects > Irish

Irish

Céad Míle Fáilte go Roinn na Gaeilge in Ardscoil Naomh Doiminic.

Foireann: Staff

Mrs A Gormley (Head of Department)
Miss A Higgins
Mr D Garland (Language Assistant)

The Irish Department supports the whole curriculum, whilst providing opportunities for Irish as a subject in its own right. We teach in a meaningful context, providing pupils with positive experiences of using Irish creatively and with confidence.

The main aims of the Department are to:

foster knowledge and appreciation of the Irish language as a native language;
create a positive atmosphere which allows pupils to develop competence in spoken and written Irish;
encourage pupils to develop personal qualities, such as self-confidence, independence and effective communication;
develop pupils’ ability to communicate and deal with information through the medium of Irish;
enhance pupils’ learning by incorporating CDT into teaching.
enable pupils to develop transferable communication skills.

Curriculum
Key Stage: Years 8, 9 and 10 follow the Revised Curriculum for KS3
Year 8: Pupils are introduced to Irish with an emphasis on developing effective communication skills. Topics covering “My World” include: Greetings, Myself, My Family, The Weather, School, Time, Days of the week, Months of the year, Seasons.
Year 9:Pupils develop the various topics covered in Year 8, with an emphasis on spoken language. Year 9 topics include: Pastimes, The House, Area, Shopping, Food and Drink, Health, Parts of the Body.
Year 10: Pupils develop their ability to describe their Family, friends and Home area, Occupations, Holidays, An Ghaeltacht, Professions and Health. Pupils also have the opportunity to achieve their Silver Fáinne and to attend the Gael Linn Junior Quiz.

Iarbhunscoláirí

Provision is made to teach through the medium of Irish to pupils who have attended an all-Irish speaking Primary School depending on pupil numbers. These pupils sit GCSE Irish at the end of Year 10 and can pursue GCSE Gaeilge in Years 11 and 12. They can then join the mainstream AS/A2 Irish class in Year 13.

Large numbers of pupils from each year group attend Gaeltacht courses during the summer in Machaire Rabhartaigh, Loch an Iúir, Dún Lúiche and Rann na Feirste.

KS4: Years 11 and 12
Year 11 and 12 pupils have the opportunity to study Irish at GCSE level, completing exams in the four key assessment areas: Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing. Oral responses are prepared throughout the two years and material studied in each topic facilitates everyday communication. Pupils study the six key areas: Self, Family and Friends; Home Life and Daily Routine; Hobbies and Interests; Town, Countryside and the Environment; Holidays; Education and Careers

Pupils have the opportunity to visit the Donegal Gaeltacht at both Easter and Summer. They participate in the Gael Linn Senior Quiz and in the Abair public-speaking competition.

Iarbhunscoláirí

Provision is made to teach through the medium of Irish to pupils in Years 11 and 12 who have attended an all-Irish speaking Primary School depending on pupil numbers. These pupils sit GCSE Gaeilge at the end of Year 12 and can pursue GCSE AS/A2 Irish in Year 13/14.

An Ghaeltacht

Post Sixteen
The Irish department delivers Irish at AS/A2 Level. At this level the course is much more focused on developing advanced language skills in the key assessment areas. All A-Level pupils have one/two periods per week with the language assistant. Most pupils attend Gaeltacht courses at Easter.

AS Level

Assessment
Two papers to be taken in May / June of Year 13. No dictionaries allowed in exam.

Paper 1: Obtaining and Exchanging Information (Speaking)

AS1 Speaking - 35% - Lasts 13 minutes with 20 minutes preparation
Pupils prepare a 4-minute presentation, and engage in an 8-minute general conversation on prepared topics. They are expected to talk about themselves and personal issues at a general level – home, school life, hobbies, hopes and aspirations. An external visiting examiner carries out the speaking test.

Total Marks 70

Relationships	Family life and relationships Personal and Interpersonal relationships
Health and lifestyles	Physical well-being Mental well-being Interests
Young People in Society	Influence on young people Education and career planning

Topics
AS2 Paper 2: Information Handling
Listening, reading and writing – 65% - Lasts 2 hours 45 minutes
Pupils listen, on an individual CD player, to extracts in Irish. They have full control over the recording and may utilise the playback facility. They answer a series of questions in Irish, based on each extract. The reading section is comprised of a comprehension exercise, language manipulation and a word selection activity. A translation from Irish into English forms the writing component.

Section A Listening 30 minutes – 30 marks
Answer 2 questions based on two passages recorded on CD. Mixture of multiple choice, cloze and questions and answers in Irish
Section B Reading1 hour 15 minutes - 50 marks
The Reading section consists of two reading comprehensions questions based on one text. Mixture of multiple choice, cloze and questions and answers in Irish – 30 marks
Translation into English – 20 marks
Section C Writing1 hour – 50 marks
Pupils answer 1 question from a choice of 2. Students must write an essay response to stimulus text. The response must be 200 – 250 words.
Total marks 130
AS contributes 50% to A2

A2 Level

Assessment: Two papers to be taken in May/June of Year 14. No dictionaries allowed in exam.

A21: Paper 1: Exchanging Ideas and Opinions (Speaking) 17% - Lasts 15 minutes with 20 minutes preparation

Pupils discuss a visual stimulus based on a theme taken from the contexts for learning and participate in a 10-minute general conversation on prepared topics. An external visiting examiner carries out the speaking test.

70 Marks

Local and Global Citizenship	Equality Multicultural society Democracy and conflict
Environmental Awareness	Conservation Energy Climate change

Topics
Paper 2: Extended Information Handling

Total 3 hrs (130 marks), 32.5% of A Level

(Section A) Listening – Students answer two questions based on two passages recorded on individual CDs, 35 minutes (30 marks)
Pupils listen, on an individual CD player, to extracts in Irish. They have full control over the recording and may utilise the playback facility. They answer a series of questions in Irish, based on each extract and are required to provide a summary of the piece. This section also includes a reading comprehension exercise and a translation from English into Irish.
(Section B) Reading
Students answer three comprehension questions based on two texts. There is a mixture of objective type tasks, questions and answers in Irish. 1 hr 25 mins (30 marks)
Translation from English into the target language (20 marks)
(Section C) Writing – Students must answer one essay response from a choice of two based on a literary text1 hr (50 marks) The response must be 300 – 350 words. This can be on a play, Breithiúnas by Mairéad Ní Ghráda, Short stories An Chéad Chnuasach by Péigí Róis or a variety of poets. The teacher will select the text to be completed.

Total marks 130

The Ashbourne Shield

Bhí ríméad ar mhúinteoirí agus daltaí Ardscoil Naomh Doiminic araon ar na mallaibh nuair a tugadh le fios dóibh gur bhain siad Sciath Mhic Giolla Bríde.

Bronnann Comhaltas Uladh an sciath ar an dá scoil ghramadaí is fearr sa Tuaisceart ó thaobh labhairt na Gaeilge de, agus tá traidisiún láidir ag cailíní Naomh Doiminic sa chomórtas. Bhain siad den chéad uair é sa bhliain 1943 agus arís eile sna blianta 1948, 1951, 1973 agus 2005.

Is cinnte go bhfuil caighdeán na Gaeilge ag ardú bliain i ndiaidh bliana i measc daltaí scoile an Tuaiscirt agus bíonn iomaíocht ghéar eatarthu agus iad ag iarraidh na torthaí is fearr a bhaint amach. Is ábhar bróid agus ceiliúrtha é, mar sin, gur éirigh le Scoil Dhoiminic an Sciath a thabhairt léi.

Thaistil na cailíní a ghlac páirt sa chomórtas go dtí an t-óstán Glenavon sa Chorr Chríochach Dé hAoine, an 12ú Meitheamh, in éineacht le príomhoide na scoile, Carol Bean Mhic Cana, Ceannaire Roinn na Gaeilge, Angela Bean Uí Ghormlaith agus múinteoir Gaeilge Andrea Ní Uiginn. Ba í Lynette Ní Fhéich, craoltóir le BBC Raidió Uladh, a bhronn an dá sciath agus scoláireachtaí Gaeltachta ar son Chomhaltas Uladh. Bhain Ardscoil Naomh Doiminic, Béal Feirste, rannóg na gcailíní de Sciath Mhic Giolla Bríde agus ba é Coláiste Phádraig, Ard Mhacha, a bhain rannóg na mbuachaillí. Chomh maith leis an sciath, bronnadh scoláireachtaí Gaeltachta ar cheathrar ón scoil a léirigh sárchaighdeán labhartha – Emma Ní Mhaoláin, Aodháin Nic Róibín, Treasa Ní Fhinneartaigh agus Cara Ní Choillte.

Dúirt Bean Uí Ghormlaith go mbíonn dáimh ar leith ag daltaí Naomh Doiminic leis an Ghaeilge agus go ndéantar neart chun an teanga a chur chun cinn sa scoil. Reáchtáltar imeachtaí rialta ina mbíonn deis ag na daltaí bualadh le Gaeilgeoirí áitiúla agus tá breis agus seasca dalta a bheas ag freastal ar na cúrsaí Gaeltachta sna coláistí Samhraidh.

Tá súil acu go dtiocfaidh rath agus bláth ar an obair iontach atá á déanamh sa scoil san am atá le teacht.

Sciath Mhic Giolla Bríde

Both the teachers and pupils of St. Dominic’s were delighted recently when they received the news that they had won the Ashbourne Shield.

Comhaltas Uladh awards the Shield to the two grammar schools (boys and girls) in the North with the highest standard of spoken Irish. St. Dominic’s has a long tradition with the competition – they won it for the first time in 1943 and again in 1948, 1951, and 1973 and more recently in 2005.

There is no doubt that the standard of Irish is rising among pupils in the North and there is fierce competition to attain top grades. It is a cause for pride and celebration, therefore, that St. Dominic’s was awarded this prestigious Shield.

The girls who took part in the competition travelled to the Glenavon Hotel, Cookstown, on Friday, 12th June, with their principal, Mrs C McCann, Head of Irish, Mrs A Gormley, and Irish teacher, Miss A Higgins. Lynette Fay from the BBC presented the two shields and Gaeltacht scholarships on behalf of Comhaltas Uladh. St. Dominic’s won the girls’ Shield while St. Patrick’s College, Armagh, went home with the boys’ Shield. As well as the Shield, four girls who showed particular prowess in spoken Irish were presented with Gaeltacht scholarships – Emma McMillen, Aodháin Nic Róibín, Teresa Finnerty and Cara Woods.

Mrs. Gormley said that St. Dominic’s girls have a special affinity for Irish and that a lot is done in school to promote the language. Regular events are organised where the girls have a chance to meet with local Irish speakers and more than seventy girls attended the various Gaeltacht courses in Donegal this Summer.

Irish Department News march 2010

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Congratulations to all pupils who participated in Feis Bhéal Feirste last week in Corpus Christi College. The adjudicators commented on the very high standard of Irish in both the Conversation and Poetry section. St Dominic’s was awarded two Gaeltacht Scholarships from Comhaltas Uladh.

The following girls were awarded prizes:

Year 8 Poetry:

Lucy Wallace 1st

Anna Burroughs 3rd

Year 9 Poetry:

Seanna-Lee Kavanagh 1st

Niamh O’Neill 2nd

Year 9 Conversation:

Amber McStravick 1st

Eimear McCotter 2nd

Year 10 Conversation:

Niamh Keenan 1st (joint)