First pupils go back to class to mark occasion

First pupils go back to class to mark occasion

30 September 2015

DOWNPATRICK’S Irish language nursery school is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Two decades after a number of enthusiastic individuals launched the nursery at the St Michael’s Parish Centre — where it is still based — the school has gone from strength to strength and currently caters for almost 40 children a day.

In addition to its 20th anniversary, some of the Naiscoil Dhun Padraig’s first pupils are now university graduates and planning to continue with their education, with a number hinting they see themselves working as Irish teachers in the future.

Three years after the nursery school’s launch and as a result of continued support from the Lecale Gaelic Society and parents, an Irish language primary school opened, with the Bunscoil now an integral part of Our Lady and St. Patrick’s primary based at Edward Street.

Those who launched the Naiscoil in 1995 hoped that one day there would be an Irish language primary school unit in Downpatrick and this summer’s university graduation of two of the students — Aoife Níc Con Midhe and Aisling O’Connell — is a fitting tribute to the hard work they and many others put in to nurture Irish education in Downpatrick.

Éamonn Mac Con Midhe, Siobhan O’Connell and Paula Bn. Mhic Thomoltaigh were members of the steering committee set up to launch the new Naiscoil and, following countless meetings and hard work and effort behind the scenes, the new school was launched.

There were initially just nine children on the roll books and while it was hard going in the early days in terms of generating the finance they required, the steering committee kept going and with parent and local business support, the Naiscoil became firmly established.

Twenty years on, Éamonn, Siobhan and Paula are overwhelmed by the success of the nursery and primary school and immensely proud that some of the students who sat behind tiny desks in the St Michael’s Centre are now university graduates.

“When we started out on this journey we did not have a penny,” recalled Éamonn. “We held countless meetings and travelled the country. We were determined to get the Naiscoil off the ground and the support and encouragement we received from numerous quarters kept us going. We had to be self-sufficient and while it was hard going at times, we were determined to succeed and have.

“We always hoped the children who attended the Naiscoil would eventually progress to third level education and graduate. We are so delighted this has happened. It makes the hard work many people put in so worthwhile. When we started out on this project people suggested we were mad but we were determined to succeed.”

Éamonn, who is the chairman of the Lecale Gaelic Society, said the nursery unit’s numbers started to grow within the first few years as parents started to show increasing interest. He said as the Society was also running Irish classes at the time “there was a real buzz about the language” and was convinced the nursery would be a success.

“We ran countless functions to raise money and we enjoyed tremendous support from people like Kit Napier, Pat Kernan, Maire Uí Chonboirne and the parents’ committee (Cóiste na dtúisti) who were instrumental in the Naiscoil’s success and who continue to play key roles today,” he continued.

“While two of the Naiscoil’s first pupils have now graduated, including my daughter Aoife, there are many others currently studying at universities in Ireland and England who were taught at the nursery and the Bunscoil. The creation of the Naiscoil in Downpatrick also led to the opening of another Irish language nursery in Killough and St Malachy’s High School has a dedicated Irish medium unit.”

Éamonn said a number of events are being planned for the coming months to celebrate the nursery’s 20th anniversary with those who took those tentative steps to launch an Irish language nursery school in 1995 confident of continued success.

He added: “The anniversary celebrations will not only mark a significant milestone, but allow us time to reflect on just what has been achieved over the past 20 years.”