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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsEducation9yrs ago

Should the Irish language remain a compulsory subject on the national curriculum?

Irish is given recognition by the Irish Constitution as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland (English is the other official language). Although the Irish requirement was also dropped for wider public service jobs, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools within the Republic which receive public money. Those wishing to teach in primary schools in the State must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge (Examination for Quality in Irish). The need for a pass in Leaving Certificate Irish…  

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 146k Ireland voters.

67%
Yes
33%
No
54%
Yes
33%
No
12%
Yes, but focus more on the ability to speak and understand the language instead of analysing poems, stories, and phrases

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 146k Ireland voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 146k Ireland voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Ireland voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9DN5KJSanswered…3yrs3Y

It should be the only language thought in schools as it is OUR language and other languages mostly English should be discouraged being spoken in schools, churches, and Government buildings

 @9ZCKR2Yanswered…2yrs2Y

All Primary schools in Ireland should be taught through Irish. Secondary schools need to refocus their Irish teaching to the ability to understand and speak Irish, with Irish culture teachings too.

 @9ZDR8KQanswered…2yrs2Y

Students study Irish for 8 years in primary and are better able to pick up a MFL in post primary e.g French. Serious review of archaic system, modernisation required to teach more like MFL.

 @9ZD3L99answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, but focus on the language including its history the importance of it and when it comes to an exam have more % going towards the speaking exam. This will encourage a more positive attitude to the language and increase its popularity. The hatred and decline in the langage stems from the course being too long and stressful.

 @BCWG8WF answered…2mos2MO

Yes, and they should focus on making the language interesting and more practical and leave the academic side to third level education. Ireland should work towards making all schools Irish only in the future and teach English as a second language, not the other way around

 @B9FGDYRanswered…6mos6MO

No, and focus more on the ability to speak and understand the language instead of analyzing poems, stories, and phrases and study why Welsh is still wildly spoken in Wales and what they are doing do we can emulate that.

 @B7QKQ64answered…9mos9MO

While I agree he Irish language remain a compulsory subject on the national curriculum speaking another language should also remain a compulsory subject on the national curriculum

 @B2R487Danswered…1yr1Y

No, just focus on improving it and making the subject more enjoyable to be part of. It doesn’t have to be so book book. Make the class self improvement orientated.

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Based on 146k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should the Irish language remain a compulsory subject on the national curriculum?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://ireland.isidewith.com/polls/3187659721

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