Tuesday evening past saw a wonderful celebration of 21 years of Irish Medium Primary Education in Downpatrick at Our Lady and St Patrick Primary School, when young & old, past and present staff & pupils, parents, & members of Cumann Gaelach Leath Chathail came together for a night of music, song, dance & craic.
Delighted with the success of the celebration, Nuala Ní Chatháin, head of the Irish Unit, said: “There were speeches from Colin Bowd, Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Simone Prenter Principal, Hugh Kelly first Principal of the Irish Unit & Siobhán O’Connell on behalf of Cumann Gaelach Leath Chathail. Much was said about the benefits of Bilingual Education, the amazing cultural & educational experiences available for the children and the growth of the Irish language in the Lecale area.
“Tribute was also paid to the founding members Pat Mac Thiarnán, Kit de Napier and Paula Uí Thomaltaigh for their foresight and vision. Then the large crowd in attendance was treated to songs from Rang 6/7, Irish dancing from past and present pupils & traditional music from the Higgins, Savage and O’ Nualláin families.
“It was such an uplifting experience for all the staff to get a chance to catch up with past pupil & parents that they hadn’t seen in many years, & hear the wonderful stories of how they are progressing in life with many of them in the world of work, at third level education & others continuing their studies at school. Most importantly however, Irish still plays a huge part of their daily lives,” added Nuala.
