Secondary School Scholarships: Mr. Birrell's anti-Irish proposal

This pamphlet relates to the campaign to put the Irish language on an equal footing with other subjects within the educational system. Augustine Birrell, Chief Secretary for Ireland, announced a new scholarship scheme to enable academically gifted children to attend secondary schools. However, proficiency in the Irish language was not included as a requirement to achieving a scholarship. The concern of O’Farrelly and other members of the Gaelic League was that if children didn’t need to prove competency in the Irish language in order to gain a scholarship to secondary school, then Irish children could pass through the entire educational system, from primary to university (to Trinity College only), without ever having studied the Irish language. This pamphlet is a response to Birrell’s new scholarship scheme.

O'Farrelly, Agnes, 1874-1951

1912

Conradh na Gaeilge

Irish language Revival; Education, Secondary Ireland; History, 20th century