Help choosing Gaelscoil in Clare or Midlands

BarraOG

Hi,

I hope to move back to Ireland with my family in the next few years and wish for my children to go to a gaelscoil. My son is one and half years old now and we've another one on the way soon. He is nor baptised.

We plan on moving to somewhere around North or West Clare or to somewhere in Offaly or Laois.

What schools would you recommend and why? How long are the queues to these schools? What requirements do the schools have in terms of whether Irish is spoken at home or not or whether the child can speak Irish before they start school? What are the religious requirments? Do parents make an effort to meet and socialize through Irish?

Thanks for your help,

Barra

byhookorbycrook

Not trying to make you worry, but many Gaelscoileanna have huge waiting lists, so I'd contact any school you are interested in and see what their policy is. Some of the Dublin schools seem to have a policy of interviewing parents to see what level of Irish they have, but that is not that case in most other places. It is not expected that children have Irish before they begin, but some do attend a naíonra.
Some schools also have formal organized parent get togethers, like picnics etc, some don't, but nothing to stop people getting together themselves.

I presume you are familiar with http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/schools/primary-schools/
I know some staff members in the following schools , so can only speak about those ones:
http://www.gmci.ie/
http://www.gaelscoilphortlaoise.net/home