25% of children at Galway Irish pre-schools native speakers, 0% in Mayo
RTÉ have reported figures on the number of native Irish-speaking children attending Irish language preschools. At these naíonraí, many of the activities are through the medium of the Irish language. This is a great age for children to learn the language.
While no native speaker attended a naíonra in Mayo in 2006, 25% of the children in Galway were native speakers. This includes the Conamara Gaeltacht and the Oileáin Árann.
No Galway child attending naíonraí east of Galway city had “any” understanding of the language. But it is positive that parents of English-speaking kids want to send them to naíonraí to be exposed to the language.
Source: RTÉ
