While I personally do not share Deputy Cunningham's optimism on the position regarding the revival of the Irish language I say quite sincerely I welcome the outlook as expressed here by him. It is inspiring that the outlook as expressed by Deputy Cunningham with regard to the Irish language and the steps that have been taken over the last 30 years should have been expressed by a person in his position who is concerned with the education of our youth. It is my own personal regret that in following his speech—and this is something on which I propose giving my own views later on—I am unable to do so in our native tongue such as he was able to do.
Deputy Cunningham referred to the fact that there are many people in this country who are in a position to read, write and speak Irish but that they will not do it, and that there is not very much the Legislature can do in that situation. I often find myself listening to discussions in the House— and this is one of them—where I can listen to Irish and understand it but I do not find myself in a position readily to speak it in return. There are probably a great number of people in that position also and that is one of the aspects of this question of the revival of Irish on which I would like to dwell and give my views before I conclude, because it is something that we can all do something about and it is a question about which each one of us who as Deputies are in this House in a representative capacity should ask ourselves, are we doing anything?
I want to pay this tribute at the outset to the present Minister for Education. I do not believe that if you searched the length and breadth of the country you would find anyone more sincere and high-minded with regard particularly to the question of the revival of the Irish language and those of us of the younger generation of Irish politicians might very well follow the example of the people of the Minister's generation who in their day, without any incentive, without any of the financial inducements to which Deputy Cunningham, I think, referred, banded themselves together to do what they could both as individuals and in groups, as a national aid to further the cause of not only the preservation but the spirit and revival of the Irish language.
I know the present Minister was one of those who, in that patriotic way, set himself about that particular task. I simply mention him because he happens to be the Minister in charge of the particular Estimate we are discussing. I know there were many others, many of whom are still with us, many on both sides of the House, who went about endeavouring to achieve that objective in a similar way in those days. It may very well be that a number of Deputies find themselves in the same position as that in which I find myself, that is, that I can frequently follow the debates in Irish, read the newspaper articles, whatever they have in Irish, read debates here in Irish, but I have not, because of my professional activities, any need or any opportunity to practise the speaking of Irish and endeavour to attain a fluency in Irish as a spoken tongue.
Deputy Childers referred this afternoon at some length to the question of technological education, vocational education. I interjected while he was speaking to emphasise that the remarks he was making did not apply to Dublin City. Deputy Childers, I think, agreed with me that the references he was making and the deficiencies he was deploring were rather related to vocational education in the rural areas than in Dublin City. I do not want to misinterpret anything which Deputy Childers said. I think he very readily agreed with me that his remarks did not have reference to the work being done in Dublin City. However, I want to take the opportunity, in case others might misconstrue them, of saying that, as far as I am aware—and I have had ten years' experience of serving on the Vocational Education Committee in Dublin City—the criticisms made by Deputy Childers do not in fact have any relevancy so far as Dublin City is concerned.
I am not a member of the Vocational Education Committee in Dublin now and perhaps I feel a bit freer to speak in their praise than I would if I were still a member of that committee. I have a very great admiration for the work being carried out by the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee. I think they are doing grand and very important work and, to a great extent, it meets the needs which Deputy D. Costello referred to when he was speaking here to-day and advocating the raising of the school-leaving age. The technical schools throughout this city do work of very great importance not only in relation to to technical subjects but in relation to continuation subjects and continuation courses. I think it is true to say that in a number of the technical schools in this city not only is important work being done but it is being done by an extremely competent, efficient and well-trained staff.
At the top of the vocational educational organisation in this city you have men of very great ability and experience who throw themselves very actively and with great enthusiasm into the work which they have to do. I think very much more so than is the case with secondary or primary teachers, the calls upon the time of members of the teaching staff of vocational schools are very great and very varied. It is necessary for them to devote their time and ability even on occasions when the ordinary professional man thinks he is entitled to a well-earned rest in the evening. I know that very many of the teachers in the service of the Vocational Education Committee in Dublin City do not stint themselves in any way but are quite prepared to spend what should be their leisure hours in active participation in such things as drill courses, games, sports, and so on, which, in the normal way, might be considered as outside the curriculum of the master or the teacher. They devote themselves to that kind of work, the organisational and recreational work in connection with the schools, in a way which I think should excite the admiration of all of us.
I think I am correct in saying that the enthusiasm and activity which they have displayed in Dublin has certainly been responded to by the pupils who attend the schools and by the parents of those pupils.
Going through the city during the enrolment period, we see long queues of people lining up and trying to get into various courses. It is not always possible to take them all in. Frequently, a number of people are disappointed and are not able to take the particular courses which they are anxious to take. However, the work being done in Rathmines, Kevin Street, Parnell Square, Cathal Brugha Street and all the other schools is important work. It is being well done with enthusiasm by the staff. Very great credit is due to these people. I think this also reflects great credit on the permanent staff of the Department of Education.
During my association with the vocational schools in this city, I was impressed by the degree of co-operation and encouragement given by the senior officers of the Department of Education. Very often individual school principals put up proposals for new courses which might be of interest, such as, to take an example, window dressing or shop-fitting. All of these subjects are received with very great and sympathetic consideration and many have been adopted and have proved to be popular and well worth while when they have been put into effect. I was glad to note from the Minister's remarks that courses are continuing in most of the technological subjects, in training courses such as rural science, woodworking, building construction, or cabinet making.
Deputy Cunningham referred to the fact that it might be better to devote more time to courses which might be described as useful rather than ornamental, but I do not claim to have followed him very clearly. Generally speaking, I am in agreement with that but it did occur to me that very often in order to get the proper groundwork, in courses such as woodwork, it may be necessary, from the educational point of view, to implant in the pupils, who in this case will be teachers, certain essential principles which require the ornamental side, before they can pass on to the useful side of the work. These kind of courses for teachers are proceeding.
I am not in a position to talk about the position of vocational training in rural areas. Deputy Childers appeared to feel that there was still a lot lacking, particularly in regard to subjects which are important in the agricultural sphere. That may be so; I do not know anything about it but some of the rural Deputies, I take it, will be able to give their views on it. It does seem that the Department, and the various vocational education committees throughout the country, could have a very proper appreciation of the importance of the work which is necessary in this sphere.
I would like to reiterate that as far as Dublin City is concerned the work that has been done, and is being done, and which is being added to year by year, reflects great credit not only on the members of the committee—and to a great extent they are the least important—but on the staff working under the C.E.O., and on the officials in the Department of Education, and the encouragement which successive Ministers have given to expanding the sphere of activity of the committee and its work.
Deputy Declan Costello and, I think, Deputy Tully, although I did not hear him, referred to what has for some time past been referred to as compulsory Irish. I have no doubt that Deputy Cunningham, who, naturally enough, by reason of his advocation, is interested in the subject, is at least theoretically correct, when he says that there is no such thing as compulsory Irish in the sense of compulsion on teachers to teach other subjects through the medium of Irish. Deputy Cunningham quoted the Department regulations on the subject and, as I say, I have no doubt that theoretically the Deputy is correct.
