Dropping Leaving Cert Irish

Mark92

I was wondering if it's possible to drop Leaving Cert Irish completley. I moved to Ireland when I was 10, so I was not exempt from taking Irish as a subject. Im in 5th year now and i'm doing terrible in ordinary level Irish (average about 20-30% usually in tests ). To me, it's complete jibberish because I just didn't catch on to it quickly enough in my early years if learning it. The amount of time I put into it now to try and scrape a pass is just not worth the trouble, as I could be using it to study my 6 other subjects (all honours level :eek:). Since Irish is my only ordinary level subject, it won't be included in my CAO points (only the 6 highest marks I was told), so for me it seems a complete waste of time and effort. :mad:
Does anyone know someone who's dropped Irish before? If so, what was the circumstances they were allowed to drop it?
Thanks.

Ronan Keating

Mark92 wrote: »

To me, it's complete jibberish

You're not alone there.

pathway33

depends where you want to go to college. Like DCU accepts either a pass in english or irish. UCD wants OD3 in Irish. Look at the entry requirements for colleges that do not insist on a pass in irish and see if you'd be happy there. You're limiting your choices but if there's a course in dcu for example that you'd go for then i'd dump the irish. It's wrecking your head and wrecking your leaving

unknown13

There is a two options one is to do Foundation Irish, two is worker harder in class. Your attitude is terrible. Most of the Universities in Ireland require you to do Irish. The DOE don't hand out exemptions to people with terrible attitudes, they hand them out to people with a genuine difficulties and since you have most likely sat you Junior Cert Irish paper, the chances of you getting the exemption is about 2 %

theowen

Mark92 wrote: »

I was wondering if it's possible to drop Leaving Cert Irish completley. I moved to Ireland when I was 10, so I was not exempt from taking Irish as a subject. Im in 5th year now and i'm doing terrible in ordinary level Irish (average about 20-30% usually in tests ). To me, it's complete jibberish because I just didn't catch on to it quickly enough in my early years if learning it. The amount of time I put into it now to try and scrape a pass is just not worth the trouble, as I could be using it to study my 6 other subjects (all honours level :eek:). Since Irish is my only ordinary level subject, it won't be included in my CAO points (only the 6 highest marks I was told), so for me it seems a complete waste of time and effort. :mad:
Does anyone know someone who's dropped Irish before? If so, what was the circumstances they were allowed to drop it?
Thanks.

If you were born outside of Ireland you can, yes. Doesn't matter how old you were when you moved here.

partyatmygaff

If your really dead set on dropping Irish just simply sit at the back of class and don't bother interacting with the class. Write any old garbage on any tests you get and just study another subject.

If the teacher kicks you out of the class or sends you to your year head e.t.c. so be it. It's not like your being rude or disrespectful or disruptive, it's just that you want to do what you think is best.

Mark92

unknown13 wrote: »

There is a two options one is to do Foundation Irish, two is worker harder in class. Your attitude is terrible. Most of the Universities in Ireland require you to do Irish. The DOE don't hand out exemptions to people with terrible attitudes, they hand them out to people with a genuine difficulties and since you have most likely sat you Junior Cert Irish paper, the chances of you getting the exemption is about 2 %

Sorry I forgot to add that I wont be going to Uni in Ireland. It's most likely that I'll be moving to either Scotland or Northern Ireland for 3rd level education, so as far as entry requirements are concerned, I wont be needing Irish.
It might seem like i'm not working hard enough or something, but seriously, I am trying my best here. Having more time to study honours math right now would be much more beneficial to me.

Mark92

theowen wrote: »

If you were born outside of Ireland you can, yes. Doesn't matter how old you were when you moved here.

I never knew that. Where did you get this info from?

Ronan Keating

You have to have arrived after 5th class or something. Just because someone was born in England and moved to Ireland after a week will not get them exempt. It isn't that easy.

You've done it for JC so you'll be doing it for LC.

anothernight

Yeah it's only if you've arrived aged 11 or older.
See here

pathway33

anothernight wrote: »

Yeah it's only if you've arrived aged 11 or older.
See here

isn't that for people who were born here and then moved away and came back again when they were say 12?

OP was not born in Ireland and there doesn't seem to be any age limit for those ......though wouldn't be sure

Does it make any difference when you aren't going to college here anyway. Just stop doing homework and take the beatings :cool:

implausible

It doesn't matter if you were exempt when you arrived, you've done the JC, so now you're not.

I really can't understand the whinging about Irish, you only have to do the bare minimum to pass:

1. Practise comprehensions and picking out where the answer is. Learn off the question terms e.g. Cé (who?), Céard/Cad (what?), Ainmnigh (name(
2. Learn off a simple story about an accident-this can fit into any short story
3. Learn off the structure of a letter and common phrases-if you can write an address, a date, the beginning (Conas atá tú? Tá mé go maith) and the end (Feicfidh mé tú go luath, slán go fóill), all you need are 5/6 basic sentences for the middle.
4. Narrow down the poetry to 4 poems and learn off a line by line summary of each. They always ask if you liked the poem so learn off the same answer for EVERY poem.
5. Narrow down the stories and learn off a summary.

For the oral, cover the basics such as mé féin, mo scoil, mo chaithimh aimsire(pastimes). Guesswork will get you through the tape especially if you learn off the question terms.

This should get you through.

anothernight

pathway33 wrote: »

isn't that for people who were born here and then moved away and came back again when they were say 12?

OP was not born in Ireland and there doesn't seem to be any age limit for those ......though wouldn't be sure

No. "Students whose primary education up to 11 years of age was received in Northern Ireland or outside Ireland" would be his case, except that he was younger when he came to Ireland.

pathway33

anothernight wrote: »

No. "Students whose primary education up to 11 years of age was received in Northern Ireland or outside Ireland" would be his case, except that he was younger when he came to Ireland.

maybe I'm thinking of the rule for exemption from the NUI entrance requirement. I think it is slightly different to the leaving cert exemption. You could be exempt from Irish for entry to an NUI but not be exempt from irish in the leaving.

I think I might be right on that

theowen

Ronan Keating wrote: »

You have to have arrived after 5th class or something. Just because someone was born in England and moved to Ireland after a week will not get them exempt. It isn't that easy.

You've done it for JC so you'll be doing it for LC.

anothernight wrote: »

Yeah it's only if you've arrived aged 11 or older.
See here

pathway33 wrote: »

isn't that for people who were born here and then moved away and came back again when they were say 12?

OP was not born in Ireland and there doesn't seem to be any age limit for those ......though wouldn't be sure

Does it make any difference when you aren't going to college here anyway. Just stop doing homework and take the beatings :cool:

deemark wrote: »

It doesn't matter if you were exempt when you arrived, you've done the JC, so now you're not.

I really can't understand the whinging about Irish, you only have to do the bare minimum to pass:

1. Practise comprehensions and picking out where the answer is. Learn off the question terms e.g. Cé (who?), Céard/Cad (what?), Ainmnigh (name(
2. Learn off a simple story about an accident-this can fit into any short story
3. Learn off the structure of a letter and common phrases-if you can write an address, a date, the beginning (Conas atá tú? Tá mé go maith) and the end (Feicfidh mé tú go luath, slán go fóill), all you need are 5/6 basic sentences for the middle.
4. Narrow down the poetry to 4 poems and learn off a line by line summary of each. They always ask if you liked the poem so learn off the same answer for EVERY poem.
5. Narrow down the stories and learn off a summary.

For the oral, cover the basics such as mé féin, mo scoil, mo chaithimh aimsire(pastimes). Guesswork will get you through the tape especially if you learn off the question terms.

This should get you through.

anothernight wrote: »

No. "Students whose primary education up to 11 years of age was received in Northern Ireland or outside Ireland" would be his case, except that he was younger when he came to Ireland.

pathway33 wrote: »

maybe I'm thinking of the rule for exemption from the NUI entrance requirement. I think it is slightly different to the leaving cert exemption. You could be exempt from Irish for entry to an NUI but not be exempt from irish in the leaving.

I think I might be right on that

I have my letter which says I'm exempt if yous would like to see it. I was unaware myself until this year. The guidance councillor in my new school said that schools are generally hush hush about it because they get a grant for every student doing Irish.
Oh ye I was 5 when I can here, too, and I did LC Irish for the Junior cert:rolleyes:

Mayoegian

partyatmygaff wrote: »

If your really dead set on dropping Irish just simply sit at the back of class and don't bother interacting with the class. Write any old garbage on any tests you get and just study another subject.

If the teacher kicks you out of the class or sends you to your year head e.t.c. so be it. It's not like your being rude or disrespectful or disruptive, it's just that you want to do what you think is best.

That's really bad advice.

OP, there's always Foundation Irish!

anothernight

theowen wrote: »

Oh ye I was 5 when I can here, too, and I did LC Irish for the Junior cert:rolleyes:

Technically if you came to Ireland speaking no English, they'd give you an exemption. I'm not sure how it works though, as they refused to exempt a few of my friends from doing Irish. I've an exemption myself, both because I didn't speak English and because I only moved to Ireland when I was 13.

Our careers teacher (very useless of course) told a girl in my year that she had to sit Irish because she came to Ireland aged 5, but that universities wouldn't expect her to have Irish for entry requirements. I don't know if she was right tbh. It's all so confusing! >_<

theowen

anothernight wrote: »

Technically if you came to Ireland speaking no English, they'd give you an exemption. I'm not sure how it works though, as they refused to exempt a few of my friends from doing Irish. I've an exemption myself, both because I didn't speak English and because I only moved to Ireland when I was 13.

Our careers teacher (very useless of course) told a girl in my year that she had to sit Irish because she came to Ireland aged 5, but that universities wouldn't expect her to have Irish for entry requirements. I don't know if she was right tbh. It's all so confusing! >_<

Considering I came from England I was well versed in the language, indeed:rolleyes: Sure I dono, the guidance councillor rang the NUI peps when I was there and asked her straight out "If you were born outside of Ireland, no matter what age, your exempt from Irish right?". And she said they don't even give it consideration but pass it straight through instead.

I asked my teacher in my old school last year and he said he "checked". But he actually didn't and lied to me instead, to get the funding. I'm sure this is what happens to most people tbh.

Moshimoshi

If it's any consolation, you can get into Trinity without Irish (as long as you have English + a second language)

pathway33

You can get into UL without irish as long as you have a second language (french / german etc).

Ronan Keating

deemark wrote: »

It doesn't matter if you were exempt when you arrived, you've done the JC, so now you're not.

I really can't understand the whinging about Irish, you only have to do the bare minimum to pass:


2. Learn off a simple story about an accident-this can fit into any short story

For the LC?

implausible

Ronan Keating wrote: »

For the LC?

At OL, yes. There are more marks going for your Irish than for relevance.

Mark92

Thanks for everyone's advice. So from what I've read, I should be able to drop Irish?

partyatmygaff

Mayoegian wrote: »

That's really bad advice.

OP, there's always Foundation Irish!

Not really, if they're dead set on dropping Irish and they're school can't/won't let them then that is their only worthwile option. That is of course if they don't have foundation level available.

If they do then foundation level is the way forward. Anyone can pass foundation level with little work.

unknown13

partyatmygaff wrote: »

If your really dead set on dropping Irish just simply sit at the back of class and don't bother interacting with the class. Write any old garbage on any tests you get and just study another subject.

If the teacher kicks you out of the class or sends you to your year head e.t.c. so be it. It's not like your being rude or disrespectful or disruptive, it's just that you want to do what you think is best.

I agree with one of the fellow posters because this is very bad advice. Telling someone to get kicked out of the class is absolutely stupid because before he does that he will be put on many detentions and possibly suspensions.

He will be kicked out of the Irish class and be put into another Irish class and still have to sit the exam.

implausible

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Not really, if they're dead set on dropping Irish and they're school can't/won't let them then that is their only worthwile option. That is of course if they don't have foundation level available.

If they do then foundation level is the way forward. Anyone can pass foundation level with little work.

Foundation level is available everywhere! You sit in the OL class and just ask for the paper on the day.

A word of warning OP, if you sit the OL oral, you can't then drop to FL.

spurious

Nobody 'has' to sit any exam.
If the OP does not do his/her oral and stays out the days of the Irish papers in the exams, no Irish mark will show on his/her results.
Irish will not be mentioned on the results sheet.

unknown13

deemark wrote: »

A word of warning OP, if you sit the OL oral, you can't then drop to FL.

What is the difference between the OL and FL oral because the examiner doesn't know what level you are sitting when you do your oral.

partyatmygaff

unknown13 wrote: »

I agree with one of the fellow posters because this is very bad advice. Telling someone to get kicked out of the class is absolutely stupid because before he does that he will be put on many detentions and possibly suspensions.

He will be kicked out of the Irish class and be put into another Irish class and still have to sit the exam.

I never said to purposefully ensure you get kicked out of the class. I said stay in the back and do something else worth your time. Discreetly of course. It's better than wasting 5 classes a week doing a language that he believes he has no chance of improving in without compromising his other subjects.

implausible

unknown13 wrote: »

What is the difference between the OL and FL oral because the examiner doesn't know what level you are sitting when you do your oral.

They know the level when it's FL. You answer more or less set questions, as opposed to it being 'a wee chat'.

window_licker

spurious wrote: »

Nobody 'has' to sit any exam.
If the OP does not do his/her oral and stays out the days of the Irish papers in the exams, no Irish mark will show on his/her results.
Irish will not be mentioned on the results sheet.

really? my teachers said once u sign for it it shows up and if u dont do it its an NG

spurious

window_licker wrote: »

really? my teachers said once u sign for it it shows up and if u dont do it its an NG

That's not true.
They cannot give you an NG as it implies some sort of mark was submitted to the system and if you have not completed any components, nothing will show.
If, however, you do the oral, do badly and then do not sit the paper, a poor mark WILL appear, with a * beside it, indicating a missing component.

gant0

I don't possibly see how you could be failing pass irish since you've been here since you were 10...pass irish is sooo eay,I've never seen anyone who has failed a pass irish test.

pathway33

gant0 wrote: »

I don't possibly see how you could be failing pass irish since you've been here since you were 10...pass irish is sooo eay,I've never seen anyone who has failed a pass irish test.

what about the 1,100 odd people who failed pass irish last year...plus the 100 odd who failed foundation

http://www.examinations.ie/statistics/statistics_2009/Grade_percent_for_the_last_3_years.pdf

Mark92

gant0 wrote: »

I don't possibly see how you could be failing pass irish since you've been here since you were 10...pass irish is sooo eay,I've never seen anyone who has failed a pass irish test.

I'm glad you find it easy, I don't. To be honest I've never been good at learning other languages at all (used to do french, but dropped it after the junior cert).
Anyways I'm going for a chat with my year tutor in a few days time to see what he thinks. If I am able to drop it then it'll be a huge relief and will make school that much more enjoyable. If not, then I guess I'm just going to have to plough through it and spend the smallest amount of time I can on the subject.

Una01

Mark92 wrote: »

Does anyone know someone who's dropped Irish before? If so, what was the circumstances they were allowed to drop it?
Thanks.

Ok, basically in Ireland there are two "Rules" as such for learning Irish.
1) Anyone who was born in Ireland MUST do the subject from primary school right through secondary school. (Unless they have dyslexia or any other learning difficulties.)
2) If you were born outside of Ireland but moved here before the age of 11, you too must learn the subject.(again unless the person has any learning difficulties)

But for entering into college by CAO, if you were born outside of Ireland (no matter what age you were when you came back to Ireland) you are able to be exempt from Irish.
I know this because I am in Leaving Cert year and got exempt. I was born in Scotland but moved here when I was only 3. Through primary school I learned Irish and also did it for my junior cert. I moved down to pass in 5th year and like you, I most likely will not be counting it for points. Since you are not planning on going to college in Ireland I am not 100% sure if the same would apply to you.
But you can definitely become exempt from Irish in the Leaving Cert if born outside the country. You apply for the exemption through NUI and once exempt, they will forward on the details to the CAO. With this exemption, it does not stop me from applying to any college of my choice, even if it is a requirement for entering the college. That is for the people who sit the exam in their leaving cert.
I sent off the form to NUI about 2 weeks ago and today the letter came with my exemption!
I hope this has helped you.:)

Here is the form that you must fill in and you also need a copy of your birth certificate.
http://www.nui.ie/college/docs/ExemptionsApplform092010.pdf

Fad

unknown13 wrote: »

What is the difference between the OL and FL oral because the examiner doesn't know what level you are sitting when you do your oral.

FL people go in last and their oral is much much simpler, like certain questions, certain vocab etc.

esmith28

Hi, just wanted to clear this up because it seems to be a greatly misunderstood matter. I was born in the UK, and moved here aged 6 weeks. I studied Irish the whole way through primary school, got good grades in it in junior cycle, then dropped it the day I went into 5th year because I considered it effort that could be better spent. You can apply to Nui and get an exemption that removes Irish as a requirement from all courses in Irish universities except for primary teaching, however, the Department of Education will not grant you an exemption unless you arrived after your 11th birthday, and your school won't grant you an exemption for funding reasons because the department won't pay for you to be there unless you do Irish, so, you can do the subject as a seventh, eighth, ninth or tenth in a free school, and just do nothing and fail it, and no one will care, or you can attend a private school such as the Institute of education and drop it immediately and forget about it forever.

spurious

Please don't drag up old threads.
Asked and answered many times.
Thread closed.