Irish-medium schools continue to outperform the national average in third-level progression but 2024 figures show regional disparities exist.
Four of the top 10 schools listed in this year’s rankings for students advancing to traditional universities are Gaelcholáistí, where all subjects are taught through the medium of Irish and where Irish is the spoken language of the school.
Dublin’s Coláiste Íosagáin has achieved the highest progression rate in the overall list of secondary schools. Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach, Cork’s Coláiste an Phiarsaigh, Dublin’s Coláiste Eoin and Clondalkin’s Gaelcholáiste Chillian also feature in the top 20.
In the table displaying progression rates by school type, Irish-medium non-Deis schools recorded an overall progression rate of 96.4 per cent in 2024.
This compares to the national average of 79.6 per cent.
Irish-medium Deis schools recorded a 55.9 per cent progression rate this year, down from 68 per cent last year. Many Deis schools are located in Gaeltacht areas and will often face even greater challenges than their urban counterparts. While any fall in progression rates should be a concern, the low number of students reflected in this data subset means that slight numerical variations can have a significant impact on percentages.
Another statistic that will be of concern is a fall in the number of students sitting the Leaving Cert at Irish-medium non-Deis schools with 77 fewer students sitting the exam in 2024.
The number may not seem significant, but advocates will say it is a symptom of the significant challenges faced by the sector. Despite being the preferred choice for a significant portion of the school-going population, there is not enough capacity at second level to meet the numbers leaving Irish-medium primary schools.
Just over 8 per cent of primary school students attend Irish-medium primary schools while just under 3.5 per cent of secondary school students attend Irish-medium secondary schools.
Advocates also highlight systemic problems from teacher training and resource development to infrastructure planning and investment.
The Irish Language Commissioner told an Oireachtas committee in October that his office was examining whether the Department of Education was meeting its obligations to offer Irish-medium education.
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