Diploma and degree courses in Irish are being developed in Magee College, the University of Ulster's campus in Derry city, under the auspices of Professor Ailbhe O Corrain, the first holder of its chair of Modern Irish. The reason for the chair is simple, says O Corrain: "The university wanted to build on the Derry campus. They looked at the various possibilities and it was obvious that there was a great demand for the Irish language."
Already 30 people attend a diploma course dedicated primarily to the study of modern Irish. A BA degree is planned which will contain Irish-language modules. An MA, it is hoped, will be up and running in the autumn. This postgraduate course will have four main modules: Irish in the law, politics and government; Irish as a community language; Irish and the development of the Gaeltacht; and Irish in the media.
The aim, says O Corrain, is to provide organisations with graduates who are trained and knowledgeable in issues pertaining to language development at governmental and community level.
Given Derry's proximity to the Donegal Gaeltacht and the emphasis on modern Irish, the university is already collaborating with Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta, a Gaeltacht development body, on a course to help improve the standard of written Irish amongst native speakers. The aim is to cater for the demand for native speakers who can translate from Irish to English and vice versa.
