Below you will find loads of ideas for different events.
Don’t forget that you can host any event through Irish and therefore it is an Irish language event. It doesn’t have to be focused on the language, as long as Irish is the main language being spoken at the event.
Singing & Music
Children love to sing and make music – why not do it with them in Irish? Pick a song with the class and translate it as Gaeilge with them (if it’s a more senior class)
There are plenty of CDs with music as Gaeilge available from the siopaleabhar.com or you can go on YouTube to listen the songs that were recorded for SnaG for the past few years. Well known songs that are very easy to learn!
There’s plenty to listen to online, including the music made for CEOL with Raidió Rí-Rá & 2FM, the discogrpahy of TG Lurgan, Cúla4 sing-alongs and of course Raidió Rí-Rá which is available 24-7 on rrr.ie
Bingo
An easy way to practice numbers as Gaeilge
Event: Organise a place an time to play bingo through Irish – between the students and the teachers of betweent student from different classes. This could be done as part of a ‘Lá Mór na Gaeilge’, or as a continuous event in the evenings and you could invite parents to take part too – any excuse to practive Irish!
Treasure Hunt
Event: Split the class into groups of 4/5. Hide a prize/present somewhere in the room/school/yard. Put clues around the room/school etc. or the students might have to ask questions to the principal or the other teachers to find out more info!
This event give the student the opportunity to practice their spoken Irish and to evaluate their level of the language – you could inform the other teachers in the school about this and set the students on their treasure hunt around the school.
Art class / PE as Gaeilge
Don’t forget that you can run any ordinary lesson in school through Irish. e.g.: if there is a game of football/hurling/basketball etc. on during P.E. class – do it as Gaeilge! The students would have to speak Irish only in the class – ‘caith an liathróid, téigh leat féin! Anseo, anseo!’
‘Ar chlé/ar dheis! Táimse saor!’ etc.. Even in maths class, the students would habe to use their Irish while counting or calling out the answer. A Vocab List of the Day would be useful on the white board to help them out.
Speak with a local person
Make contact with a local person – a well known historian/author/poet/singer. Sometimes you might think that it is difficult to appeal to them but it’s worth making contact with them early on.
Even if you are not able to get someone famous, look for someone who uses their Irish daily – a presenter from the local radio station who broadcasts in Irish. It’s very important that the students see that there is a use and a benefit to using their Irish outside of the education system.