Gone are the days, it appears, when teenagers were expected to endure Spartan conditions and unbending rules in their pursuit of a better grasp of the national language. Colaiste na bhFiann, in an attempt to compete for the attention of today's youth, is this weekend organising a youth cruise on the Shannon as a way of luring them away from English language-based activities.
About 300 students between the ages of 13 and 18 from Colaiste na bhFiann youth clubs around the State will converge on Carrick-on-Shannon this evening for the Sult ar an tSionann.
Forty-five cruisers have been hired and, over the weekend, the students will enjoy a pleasant cruise on the river to Lough Key Forest Park. They will also be shown how to operate the boats.
Eibhlin Ni Laoire of Colaiste na bhFiann said a special event was organised to mark the end of the youth clubs' activities each year.
"We are competing with English-speaking youth clubs so we have to be a step ahead of the rest. We try to put on trips that are a bit out of the ordinary or something that the students wouldn't have experienced before," she said.
In addition to the cruise, there will also be discos, a barbeque, ceil is and sporting competitions taking place in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Tomorrow evening, the youth clubs will parade through the town.
Ms Ni Laoire said a range of entertainment was being provided because they were trying to get away from the stereotype of Irish speakers as "girls with red hair who do Irish dancing".