MENTION language assistants to most people and they immediately think of students from the continent working with reluctant school pupils in an attempt to improve their French, Italian, Spanish or German. However, a scheme launched five years ago in Northern Ireland has brought a wave of language assistants - cuntoir is the preferred term in Irish - from the Donegal Gaeltacht into the north's second level schools in an effort to improve the pupils' Irish.

While all of the other modern European languages were well catered for in the north's schools, Irish was in the unique predicament because all the language teaching is left to the teachers themselves, the vast majority of whom (while well qualified) were not native speakers.

The scheme has had an immediate effect on the students, according to Sean O'Fearain, a teacher of Irish at St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, the largest grammar school in west Belfast: "It's a great idea. We have many fluent speakers who came through the all Irish primary school system. Most of them didn't have much experience of speakers from the Gaeltacht and this is their chance to become accustomed to them.

"The best thing about this now is that they understand Raidio na Gaeltachta and we can use resources from the Gaeltacht. Before this, they had great difficulties understanding Gaeltacht speakers even though their Irish is excellent. They had an ear for Belfast Irish. I think that it also strengthens the link and friendship between here and the Gaeltacht. You can hear that great work is being done."

While the teachers still teach most of the course, this scheme has given them the opportunity to schedule extra classes for the pupils - classes which they are all happy to attend.

"Teachers don't have that much time to spend on conversation and speaking now," says O Fearain. "We know that it's well covered by our current cuntoir, Maire Ni Fhearraigh, in extra classes. Before this, we had to spend two classes a week on conversation."

A further advantage has been that the students are not as reluctant to talk to the cuntoir about issues they might hesitate to mention in front of their teacher. The fact that the cuntoir has the status of a staff member while not being seen by the students as an authority figure helps build a worthwhile dialogue.

O Fearain is in no doubt as to the success of the cuntoir's work: "The pupils speak now Irish without hesitation on any subject. Before, they would talk about the course hut now you could meet them anywhere and they would speak Irish with you about anything."

Ni Fhearraigh (25) is from Machaire Rabhartaigh in Donegal. This is her third year working as a cuntoir and her second year in St Mary's. She is enthusiastic about the scheme: "The work is interesting. You're more like a friend than a teacher to the pupils. There are only three or four in each class and we just talk about their social lives and school and course work."

Most of the pupils are between 16 and 18 and Ni Fhearraigh says that they are "galanta"/"wonderful" and that she has experienced no discipline problems. All the students (about 40 in sixth and seventh years) have chosen Irish as their ALevel subject because they find the subject interesting. This also helps as there is no element of compulsion in their study. They have a genuine urge to learn.

A graduate of the department of Irish at the University of Ulster's Coleraine campus, Ni Fhearraigh found Belfast a culture shock to begin with but has now grown accustomed to the city. "I'm getting used to it now - especially the shops and there are plenty of pubs around. The thing that most annoys me about Belfast is that the houses are so close together. You have no space for yourself.

"Irish is very, very strong here. It surprised me just how strong. It's like being back home".

The annual salary is about £8,000. While this is not a great amount, Ni Fhearraigh reckons it's not too bad for someone who has just graduated from university. In addition, the work has given Ni Fhearraigh an opportunity to work in a school and to see what is involved in teaching as a profession. She hasn't been put off.