Secondary school teacher offering tutoring in Irish at Higher and Ordinary level up to Leaving Cert.

Find out more about Sarah

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I speak Irish fluently because of a teacher who inspired me to learn. My parents don't speak Irish and to be honest it was not my favourite subject until I was about 16 years old. In school, I had a teacher who was really enthusiastic and passionate about the language. This was really evident to us as students and it influenced me to feel the same way about the language!

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  My favourite work is smugairle róin - jellyfish!

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  It is part of our culture and something I am really proud of! My grandparents always remember bits of Irish they learned in school and loved to use their cúpla focal with me which was always something I loved doing.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  I think grammar is usually something people find difficult, but it is something I really enjoy and love to teach! Practising the grammar rules is a huge help when trying to learn!

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  As I mentioned before, Irish was not my favourite or best subject when I was in my earlier years of secondary school. A big part of that was possibly my attitude towards the language, I felt that it was too difficult and that there was no point in learning it. However, when I was 16, my Irish teacher at the time was so passionate about the subject and wouldn't allow any negative attitude towards it. This made me change my mindset on the language and I started to find it was a lot more enjoyable and in turn, found it easier to learn!

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  A trip to the Ghaeltacht! I never went when I was in secondary school but in my first year of college we had to attend and it was amazing how much my language skills improved in the two weeks. I gained so much confidence when speaking Irish!

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I am really enthusiastic about the language. I have a great love and passion for Irish and this is reflected in my teaching. I understand how difficult the language can be for students and do my best to make it easy and enjoyable to learn.