asked the Minister for Education if he will have an Irish dancing teacher made available for the school children of the Skibbereen district.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Irish Dancing Teacher.
Physical training, which in its recreative side may include Irish step and figure dancing, is an optional subject of the programme for national schools. This subject also forms part of the programme of the first year's course in the training colleges and many, if not all, of the teachers trained in recent years should be competent to instruct children in Irish dancing—in figure dancing at least.
The local manager of a national school is charged with the direct government of the particular school including the appointment of teachers. If the manager of a school desires to have dancing taught therein, he may arrange to have the instruction given by one of the recognised teachers of the school or by an extern teacher, but where the latter is employed the fees payable must be provided from local sources, by subscriptions or otherwise, as no State grant for such a service is available.