Schoolchildren in Ireland are learning Welsh to find out more about the culture and language across the sea from them. As well as learning Irish they are now finding out about the language and culture of their Celtic cousins.
The Welsh Government wants to boost the number of people globally speaking Welsh. Now children at an Irish medium school - or gaelscoil- in Sandyford, Dublin, are among those overseas starting to siarad Cymraeg. Children at Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille, Belarmine, have begun the Chwarae yn Gymraeg (Playing in Welsh) programme. The initiative introduces Welsh language and culture in a fun way, outside the classroom.
The scheme for nine to 12 year-olds helps children get familiar with basic vocabulary and key phrases during activities such as sport, play and traditional Welsh dance. It is already used in English-medium schools in Wales.
The launch in Dublin is the start of expanding Welsh learning abroad. The start of the initiative, supported by the Irish government, was celebrated with a twmpath – Wales’ version of the Irish céilí (both traditional dances) – at the school. Children help run the programme, with about 60 pupils at the gaelscoil trained up as ‘ambassadors’ and given materials to support their efforts.
Jeremy Miles, Wales' education and Welsh language minister, and Sian Lewis, CEO of the Urdd, which developed the programme, attended the launch in Belarmine to mark St David’s Day. Ms Lewis said it was about giving “simple phrases they can use, such as phrases of encouragement - like, to say, ‘well done’ in Welsh - and greetings and ‘thank you’, and colours and numbers and movements,” she said.
“We know how important the Irish language is to the people of Ireland, so to begin our European journey in a gaelscoil is hugely exciting for us. We are engaging the pupils here in cultural and sport sessions. For us, it’s very important that we share good practice with culture cousins. This is the first in Ireland and we would love to come back and deliver it in schools across Ireland.”
Ms Lewis has been involved in training staff and pupils at the school this week, and hopes that “when we leave after two or three days, that they have had insight into a language they might never have heard before and a bit about our culture”.
The Chwarae yn Gymraeg initiative was originally launched in Doha and Dubai as part of Wales’s FIFA World Cup campaign. The Welsh government hopes to double the daily use of Welsh and increase the number of Welsh speakers to one million by 5050.
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