Beijing university set to say ‘dia dhuit’ to Irish

Irish could soon be heard on the streets of Beijing following an announcement that a Chinese university is to receive almost €22,000 from the Irish government to teach the language.

Beijing Foreign Studies University is the first university in China to apply for the funding to teach Irish, with Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív announcing that funding from would be given to the university over a three-year period through the Irish Language Fund for Third Level Institutions Overseas scheme.

“The demand for funding from this scheme from universities worldwide, and now as far away as China, is a clear indicator not only of the interest within the academic community in Irish as one of the world’s oldest vernacular languages, but also as proof of the opportunities for Irish speakers globally,” he says.

“Studying Irish in their own universities is often the first step in a lifelong interest in both the language and the country’s wider culture, and it is wonderful to see students from all over the world coming to the Gaeltacht to continue their studies,” he added.

Beijing Foreign Studies University’s official policy is to teach classes in all the official languages of the European Union.

Now that Irish is an official working language of the EU, the university is keen to offer Irish language as an option to students at the institution.

The Language Centre in NUI Maynooth will work alongside the Beijing university to establish their curriculum and course content.

Irish language classes have seen a surge in popularity world-wide in recent years. A number of universities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe now offer Irish language studies.

In all, there are more than 40 universities and colleges worldwide which now offer Irish and who receive funding from through the government’s Irish Language Fund.

The initiative was started by Minister Ó Cuív in 2006 to support and develop the teaching of the Irish language abroad.

To date, the largest single sum to be granted under scheme is €231,000, which was given to the Fulbright Commission - the official cultural exchange programme between the Irish and US governments.