Those architects of our Irish medium school movement should go to the top of the class today as we move into another school year.
The work of our schools goes unsung all too often – that's all our schools, regardless of their religious background or language of instruction – but the lessons learnt from the Gaelscoileanna are especially instructional for a community on the move.
For the pioneers who set up the first Bunscoil on the Shaws Road in 1971 had one key lesson to impart to us all – long before Nike was ever heard of – just do it.
If they had have waited for the authorities to do the right thing by the Irish language, those early groundbreaking Gaels would still be waiting.
But, despite the threat of imprisonment if they dared opt out of the mainstream education system, they took the revolutionary step of setting up the first Irish medium primary school – from which all our other victories flowed.
Irish medium education has always had the advantage of attracting highly motivated teachers – and parents, and pupils – whose heart was in the language and the children. They also were in tune with the thinking of a generation of parents who were driving a revolution on the streets; parents who understood that education was power and that community education meant power for the community.
The flowering of the Irish school movement over the past 25 years, especially since the 1981 hunger strike, has reflected a growing nationalist self-confidence and a strengthening of the Irish identity. But throughout, those involved in the Irish school movement have made sure their schools were beacons of understanding and tolerance which gave an equal welcome to children of all backgrounds and demonstrated respect for all their neighbours.
The leap forward this week by Coláiste Feirste (formerly Meánscoil Feirste) which opened a £5m extension is another win-win for the Irish language movement and for the West Belfast community (see story, page 22).
Many former pupils of Coláiste Feirste have gone on to become respected achievers in all walks of life – they have reaped the opportunities presented to them by the fundraising, sweat and toil of their parents' generation.
Started with just nine pupils 15 years ago but now boasting 600 students, Coláiste Feirste is a centre of excellence for education and its trailblazing exploits have inspired many others across the country. New schools opening today in Ballymoney and in Lucan, Co Dublin, all look to the work of Belfast's Gaelscoil founders with no little admiration.
West Belfast is a linguistic powerhouse – though its efforts have been more than matched in recent years by An Droichead in South Belfast and ventures such as Scoil Mhic Reachtáin in the north of the city. Belated recognition of the Irish language as a great asset of West Belfast is being seen in the government decision to locate a Gaeltacht Quarter at the heart of the Falls.
However, all credit for these wonderful strides forward should go not only to the activists but to all those thousands of ordinary supporters of the Irish language who believe that Gaeilge bhriste is better than Béarla cliste (broken Irish is better than smart English) and who acted in defence of the language over the past 35 years.
