Our school is akin to a “small Gaeltacht” in Ballincollig. It gives us great pleasure to engage and converse with the extended school community; parents, grandparents, relatives and friends though Irish.

The effect of learning a second language on first language skills is a very positive experience for our pupils. Through the immersion system pupils achieve a high level of fluency in both Irish and English.

Early immersion education is an effective and successful system. In the Junior Infant classroom children’s exposure to their first language is reduced as much as possible in a sensitive way. Their need to learn Irish to communicate is created. This develops proficiency in both languages.

Through this process children acquire enough spoken Irish to learn pre-literacy skills. They learn to read in Irish only in Junior Infants. English reading is taught in Senior Infants