Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh agus bhur gcéad fáilte isteach chuig The Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
Well, it’s that time of year again and the kids are off back to school. The days of frantically wondering what to do to keep the little angels occupied are now over for most of the day.
You’ve just spent an arm and a leg on a culaith scoile - a school uniform with backup geansaithe - jumpers, brístí - trousers or sciortaí - skirts in case your offspring is thrown into a flower bed by the bully from Year 7.
Of course there are many different kinds of school. Kids usually start off in a naíscoil - a nursery school.
Thoisigh Kylie ar an naíscoil inné - Kylie started the nursery school yesterday.
(Yep, even Irish-speaking kids can be named after pop celebs.)
After they’ve graduated in colouring in, singing nursery rhymes and are suitably toilet trained (hopefully) they move to the bunscoil - primary school.
Tá Rodney ag freastal ar an bhunscoil - Rodders is attending primary school.
You’ll see this word in the names of schools - Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh, Bunscoil Cholmcille and so on.
When you see Gaelscoil, it means it is an Irish-medium school whereas bunscoil could be either English- or Irish-medium.
So you’ve got little Saoirse or Oisín ready for school and they’ve had their photos taken and posted on facebook for everyone to ooh and aah over.
You’ve spent another small fortune in getting them branded in the school colours, from uniforms to sports gear and all the paraphernalia that your average 8-year old needs for a fruitful career as a schoolchild.
So if you know a kid at primary school you could ask them An bhfuil do mhála scoile trom? Is your school bag heavy?
(And it probably is as it is laden with yoghurt, guacamole and hummus recipes the Mumster got from brilliantparenting.com.)
Cad é an scoil a bhfuil tú urithi? - what school are you at?
An maith leat an scoil? - Do you like school?
Cad é an t-ainm atá ar do mhúinteoir? - What is your teacher called?
Then, in the twinkling of an eye and before you know it, it’s time for another change of uniform as the children go to “the big school” cue more cheesy photos on facebook.
Meánscoil is a second-level educational establishment aka a secondary school although more are being called a coláiste - a college for some added gravitas.
The last (usually) item in the educational food chain is the ollscoil - university.
Now, as we know, the education system in the north is very unbalanced. The best do spectacularly well while the less capable do spectacularly badly and its these under-achievers that we should be most concerned about.
There are six coláistí breisoideachais - further education colleges in the north where young people can study vocational subjects that will help them join the workforce.
Then they have kids and send them to nursery school and the cycle starts over again!
CÚPLA FOCAL
culaith scoile(culee skulla) - a school uniform
geansaithe(gyanzeeha) - jumpers
brístí(breeshtee) - trousers
sciortaí(skirtee) - skirts
Thoisigh Kylie ar an naíscoil inné(hushee kylie er un neeskull inyay) - Kylie started the nursery school yesterday
bunscoil(bunskull) - primary school
Tá Rodney ag freastal ar an bhunscoil(taa rodney eg frastal er un wunskull) - Rodders is attending primary school
Gaelscoil (gaylskull) - an Irish medium school
An bhfuil do mhála scoile trom?(un wil daw wala skulla trum) - Is your school bag heavy?
Cad é an scoil a bhfuil tú urithi?(cadge ay un skull a wil too erhee) - what school are you at?
An maith leat an scoil?(un my lat un skull) - Do you like school?
Cad é an t-ainm atá ar do mhúinteoir?(cadge ay un tanyim ataa er do woontchore) - What is your teacher called?
meánscoil (maanskull) - a secondary school
coláiste(colaashta) - a college
ollscoil(ullskull) - university
coláistí breisoideachais(colaashtee breshidgeahish) - further education colleges
