Beidh an Ghaodhlaigh fá mheas Fós|Irish will be valued yet
Ar ócáid oscailt na scoile nua foilsíodh an t-alt seo sa Munster Express.
“Beidh an Ghaodhlaigh fá mheas Fós” — Pilib Barún (1801-44)
On the occasion opening of the new school building the following article was published in the Munster Express.
“Irish will be valued yet” — Philib Barron (1801-44)
Tá Gaelscoil Philib Barún ar an bhfód anois breis is tríocha bliain. Ag freastal go dílis ar mhuintir na Trá Móire gur mhór leo an Ghaeilge agus gur mhaith leo go bhfreastlódh a bpáistí ar ghaelscoil.
Gaelscoil Philib Barún was founded over 30 years ago in Tramore to serve those in the community who had an interest in their native language and who wanted their children to experience immersion education in a Gaelscoil.
Tionscnamh pobail a bhí sa scoil ón tús a d’eascair as comhrá i measc gaeilgeoirí a chreid sa mhana “is féidir linn” i bhfad sula raibh sé faiseanta. B’iad a rinne an stocaireacht agus a d’earcaigh daltaí. Ceapadh príomhoide, Deirdre Ní Ghallachóir, agus thosnaigh 29 dalta i gcóiriocht ar chíos i dTeach na Trá Móire. Tús maith leath na hoibre a dhéarfá ach ba mhór na constaicí a bhí roimh an scoil ó thaobh cóiriochta de i gcónaí. Bogadh go Teach Stella Maris i 1989 ach lean deacrachtai i gcónai teacht ar shuíomh oiriúnach don scoil.
It was always a community project, beginning with a conversation among language enthusiasts who believed in “Yes we can” many years before it was fashionable. It was these few who recruited pupils for the school, appointed a principal and sought recognition from the Department of Education. Deirdre Ní Ghallachóir, that first principal, with 29 pupils started in a makeshift classroom and while the demand was there for the school many obstacles effected its growth from the start, notably the temporary nature of the accommodation, initially in Tramore House and then in Stella Maris House in Pond Road.
Faoi dheireadh ag tús an chéid seo cheannaigh an Roinn Oideachais is Scileanna 2.5 acra ar Chruabhaile Uachtarach agus anois tá foirgneamh buan againn ag féachaint anuas ar an gCúl Trá , na dumhca maorga agus na túir ar Ceann Brownstown.
The Board of Management sought a site in the 1990s but it wasn’t until 2003 that temporary prefabs were put on a 2.5 acre site purchased by the Department of Education and Skills in Crobally Upper. It is on this site that the school’s wonderful new building sits overlooking the back strand, the sand dunes and Brownstown Head.
Gur fada buan sinn ar leac ár gcnoic. Tá an tír anois breac le gaelscoileanna agus rogha ann anois i ngach baile agus bruachbhaile do thuismitheoirí gur suim leo taithí saibhir a thabhairt don chéad glúin eile ar theanga a sinsear. Ná ceart agus ná cóir gur amhlaidh do pobal oirdhéiseach na Trá Móire. Fuair an cainteoir Gaeilge deireanach bás sna 1960í ach tá Gaeltacht cois baile anois laistigh de gheataí Ghaelscoil Philib Barún.
Gaelscoileanna have mushroomed over the past 50 years all over the country, north and south. Every town now offers choice to parents who may want their children to experience their native language as a living and vibrant language of instruction and learning. It is indeed right that finally Tramore has its own Gaelscoil that it can be proud of. The last native speaker in the area of Irish died in the 1960’s but Irish lives as a language within the gates of the Gaelscoil.
Mar a dúirt an gaeilgeoir is teagascóir ón 19ú aois, Pilib Barún, nuair a bhunaigh sé an chéad gaelscoil sa bhliain 1833 I mBunmachan, “Beidh meas ar an nGaeilge fós” agus go dtí an lá sin tá sé de dhualgas orainn an ghaeilge a chothú i measc an phobail.
As Philip Barron, a native of Waterford and an Irish language enthusiast of the 1830’s, said “Gaelic will yet be valued again”. Until then it behoves us to reserve its place in our community.
