Teaching Gaelic in Catholic Schools

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 38, 21 September 1905, Page 19

Teaching Gaelic in Catholic Schools

To the Editor.

Sir,— l desire to draw attention through your valuable paper to what I consider would be ivery much appreciated by, the Catholics of New Zealand especially the Irish Catholics, viz., the teaching of the Gaelic language in our colleges and high schools, as a beginning. I feel confident that our Bishop's and clergy will agree with me that the move would be a good one. I specify our colleges and high schools as a beginning,, feeling confident that in a very few years the Gaohc tongue would be taugtit in every Catholic school in New Zealand. Let me review briefly the advance of the Gaelic movement in Ireland .^The work has gone on by leaps and bounds indeed, it is nothing short of a marvel the rapid and extraordinary success that has attended it In ten year si from now all Ireland will again speak Gaelic. I never knew an Irish man or woman but lo.\ed their faith and native land, and it is quite natural that this love of faith and falherteuid will be handed down to our children, and say in ten or twenty years hence, if am-y of our young New Zealanders of Irish parentage should be fortunate enough to steer their barque to Erin's Isle, what a loss it would be to them not to know Gaelic. l I fear I will never look on dear Old Ireland again, but my heart is with Ireland and the Gaelic movement, as every Irishman's heart should be, and that is why I ' consider our grand old language should be taught in our schools. Hoping that some abler 'pen will take up and champion Mus cause,c au'se, and that in the near future Gaelic will bo one of the languages taught in all our schools,— Yours, etc , T . , BENJAMIN BURLAND, KaiKo ira.