Ó Cuív urges candidates to apply for opportunities to teach Irish

Éamon Ó Cuív TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs today encouraged students and teachers with Irish to apply for the Ireland Canada University Foundation’s Irish language awards before March 5th, when the application process closes.

Funded by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the Foundation is providing a number of Irish-language teaching assistantships at Canadian universities that offer courses in Irish. The third-level institutions involved are Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition, the Ireland Canada University Foundation is calling for applications for a Visiting Irish Language Professorship at the Department of Celtic Studies at the University of Toronto.

Minister Ó Cuív said: “This new programme began last year and was a huge success. The feedback from the successful candidates has been extremely positive, so I am delighted that my Department will be providing funding for these awards again this year. I would strongly encourage students and academics with Irish to apply for these exchange scholarships. This is an excellent opportunity for graduates to travel, to gain valuable teaching practice, to experience living in Canada and to use their Irish in a new and exciting environment.

“Ireland and Canada have strong historical links, particularly since the Great Famine. Some 4 million Canadians (12.5% of the population) claim Irish heritage today and Irish communities can be found across the country. Indeed, last year, for the first State commemoration of the Great Famine, our overseas event was held at the island of Grosse Île near Quebec, a quarantine station that became known by locals as ‘L’Île des Irlandais’ – the Island of the Irish.

“This programme will help to raise awareness of the Irish language and its rich heritage as one of the oldest vernacular languages in Europe amongst the academic community in Canada. It will place the language on a par with other European languages being taught abroad.”

For information about the awards, please visit www.icuf.ie or email info@icuf.ie