By 
FOLLOWING last year’s success, when they were awarded their Scoil Spreagtha status and became the first school to receive the Duals Ardmholta na Bliana (School of the Year) Award, Tummery Primary School in Dromore is showing no signs of slowing down in its promotion of the Irish language.
This week, the school took part in the nationwide ‘Gaeilge24 – Speak Irish for a Day’ challenge.
The aim of the initiative is to encourage young people to speak Irish continuously for one full day, whether at home, in school, in shops, around town or with friends.
Designed to open young minds and allow pupils to experience Irish in a positive, everyday way, Gaeilge24 has become one of the most exciting events of the school term, with more than 30,000 pupils from over 300 schools taking part this year.
Teacher Catherine Boyle said the event ‘brought the whole school together’.
“Through conversation and speaking Irish both in and out of the classroom, we hosted art activities, and the pupils performed poems and sang songs in Irish,” she explained.
“It’s a great initiative that inspires them to speak the language and a wonderful way to promote Irish and normalise it in an English-medium school.”
An assembly on Tuesday morning gave pupils the chance to share their talents and connect with one another.
“Everybody got up and said a poem or sang a song,” Catherine added.
“They all loved taking part, and it was a lovely opportunity for the older children to help the younger ones.”
