An Ghaeilge and The Leaving Cert
A story which has been all over the news in recent weeks in which I have a great interest, is that of Mary Hanafin’s strong opinions on Irish as a subject for dyslexic students.
The controversy arose due to the fact that although students with learning disabilities such as Dyslexia are exempt from taking the Irish exam but may take another language. It gives rise to the idea that students are avoiding studying the language due to its difficulty instead of the inablity to learn it. We must also look at the fact that there are three different levels of Irish which the student can take – Honours, Ordinary and Foundation. It is down to the student anf the teacher to choose a level which is suitable for that student. While it is an unfortunate fact that Gaeilge is not widely used in every day life and students feel that it has no worth and to be straightforward, is a waste of time. I believe however that this is a pure shame and although I am not familiar enough with the issue of Dyslexia, I find it difficult to undersand how a student is unable to sit the Irish exam due to the dissability yet is fit to learn French, German and even Latin, although this is not my place to say due to a lack of knowledge on the subject.
While this case has been all over the news, bloggers have also picked up on it. The following two blogs give contrasting views on the subject, one pro and one con and it shows that blogs give a voice to the voiceless and allow them to express their opinions through the medium of Net Culture and Blogs.
The Irish Economy
Someone would have had to be living under a rock for the past eighteen months to avoid the dreaded words ‘recession’ and ‘economic downturn’ which have become part of the daily vocabulary of the Irish public. This has become an occuring theme in all various types of news outlets, blogs included. The blog, The Irish Economy deals with the subject in depth and focuses on it under the issues of Tax and the Banking Crisis to name but a few. For the budding economist, this blog is a must read and gives the reader different views and in depth analysis on the subject.
Blogging Versus The Law
The reasons to blog are colossal – to review, discuss topical subjects, or to merely voice your opinions. However, can vocalizing these opinions get you into more trouble with the law?
