'Why should I be forced?': Student sparks debate saying Irish shouldn't be mandatory in schools

A student has sparked debate online after he gave his comments about whether or not Irish should be compulsory in schools. 

Speaking as an audience member on this Monday's Upfront with Katie Hannon on RTÉ, a UCD student had his say on the situation, saying: "I'm hugely passionate about history, but I wouldn't force people to join UCD history club. Why should I be forced to sit in an Irish class I don't enjoy?"

“Why should I be forced to sit in an Irish class I don’t enjoy?”

The #RTEUpfront audience have their say on whether Irish should be compulsory in schools. pic.twitter.com/qqBzhdc4t9

— Upfront with Katie Hannon (@RTEUpfront) January 8, 2024

These comments sparked agreement and criticism from the public via social media. 

Many disagree with the system, calling Irish a "dead language" and asking for reform of the curriculum. Others, enjoy the aspect of keeping close to Irish culture through learning the language, and some even wish they had taken it more seriously while at school, later regretting not having kept it up later in life.

One X user wrote: "I enjoy holidays. Doesn't mean I will lead a better life if I go on a continuous holiday. Life is tough, you need to learn, grow, overcome weakness, get stronger, lose, win, etc. Learning Irish, will only help you increase your ability to learn, amongst other things."

I enjoy holidays. Doesn't mean I will lead a better life if i go on a continuous holiday. Life is tough, you need to learn, grow, overcome weakness, get stronger, lose, win, etc. Learning Irish, will only help you increase your ability to learn, amongst other things.

— Cllr Trevor Gilligan Peace Commissioner Dublin (@trevorgilligan) January 9, 2024

Another user said: "How can someone claim to love history without knowing what happened to the Irish language?"

Such guff! How can someone claim to love history without knowing what happened to the Irish language?

— Marie Brady (@MarieTBrady) January 9, 2024

Others have admitted their regrets with not seeing "the value" in learning the language. "When I was in school, I had the same attitude as this guy and didn’t see the value in learning Irish. Now that I’ve matured, my biggest regret in life is not learning the Irish language to a better standard. That is EXACTLY why it needs to be mandatory."

When I was in school, I had the same attitude as this guy and didn’t see the value in learning Irish.

Now that I’ve matured, my biggest regret in life is not learning the Irish language to a better standard.

That is EXACTLY why it needs to be mandatory. #RTEUpfront https://t.co/yEuRpymW13

— 父 Seán 父 (@SCLaw98) January 9, 2024

On the other side, there were others who agreed with the student's point, and believed it should be up for discussion.

"This young man should get the benefit of deciding for himself. He sees no value in doing Irish for the Leaving Cert, so why force him."

This young man should get the benefit of deciding for himself. He sees no value in doing Irish for the Leaving Cert, so why force him.

Just because we were forced to doesn't mean we should foist it on the next generation as some citizen rite of passage.

— William Kennedy (@_williamkennedy) January 9, 2024

"Irish should be optional after junior cert. There’s no point in forcing it on students. Let the ones who want it carry it forward stronger."

The hate for this fella in the comments is weird. It would be great if we all knew our native language fluently but we don’t. Irish should be optional after junior cert. There’s no point in forcing it on students. Let the ones who want it carry it forward stronger

— David o’connell (@davidocMUFC) January 9, 2024

The debate continues and stresses the need for a thoughtful discussion on balancing cultural preservation and possible discussions around individual choice in Irish language education.