How could I get children reading as Gaeilge for pleasure?

Laureate na nÓg Áine Ní Ghlinn on An Bosca Leabharlainne and Give Leabhar Gaeilge

Lifting the invisibility cloak from Irish-language literature for children

Áine Ní Ghlinn

Thu Feb 24 2022 - 06:00

Being appointed Laureate na nÓg/Children’s Literature Laureate in 2020 was – and still is – an incredible honour. It is also an incredible opportunity. As laureate, I could choose a project I felt passionate about, a project that would be delivered by myself and a team from Children’s Books Ireland (CBI).

The project I chose was an ambitious one – but one that could be carried out, at least in part, during lockdown.

Previous children’s literature laureates travelled the length and breadth of Ireland to deliver projects involving story, poetry and illustration.

In May 2020 it was clear that the early stages of my project would have to be delivered via Zoom from my box-room office and the home offices of all the team. Unlike Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea, I was destined to be the laureate who stayed at home!

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Áine Ní Ghlinn, Laureate na nÓg, with children reading in Irish. Photograph: Julien Behal

As the first Laureate na nÓg to write exclusively in Irish, I wanted to lift the invisibility cloak from Irish-language literature for children. I wanted to create an opportunity for children to see reading as Gaeilge as fun and not just homework. This sounds all very well in theory. There are wonderful leabhair Ghaeilge out there for young readers. However, apart from designated Siopaí Leabhar Gaeilge, they often go unseen – sometimes hidden away on a low shelf, sometimes not there at all. It can be a vicious circle, of course. It’s a relatively small market and shelf space is costly. So how could I make these books visible? How could I get children reading as Gaeilge for pleasure?

Firstly, I wanted to find a way to gift Irish language books to children, to create the opportunity for them to see and explore the range of books available. This dream gradually grew legs, arms and a body and turned into a colossal project: An Bosca Leabharlainne, an Irish-language starter library for primary schools, a box of high-quality picture books, stories, novels to be read for fun.

I spent the first part of lockdown reading and re-reading every book available as Gaeilge for children. What's not to like about that?

With incredible hard work on the part of the CBI team, the laureate project manager and massive financial (and other) support from the Arts Council and Foras na Gaeilge, the dream has become a reality. At a cost of more than €440,000, 2,200 Boscaí Leabharlainne (containing 55,000 carefully chosen books) are on the road. Some have already arrived. The rest are on the way.

Enjoyable task

It was a huge undertaking, but from my point of view, a most enjoyable one. I spent the first part of lockdown reading and re-reading every book available as Gaeilge for children. What’s not to like about that?

Meanwhile, of course, others were doing the hard work. An application process was set up by CBI. Word went out on social media, schools were emailed, and hundreds and hundreds of applications began to roll in.

How could we encourage teachers and children to engage with and enjoy these books?

Books for An Bosca Leabharlainne were selected with absolute care – one set of 25 books for Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools and a separate set for English-medium schools (where children have less exposure to reading as Gaeilge).

I read, I listened, I took expert advice and I selected books I saw as the best choices for a range of chronological ages as well as a range of reading ages. There were lists and back-up lists. Some books were no longer available, although most publishers were happy to pull out the stops and reprint where possible.

Was there a risk that a Bosca Leabharlainne might just sit in a corner? Not every school has a tradition of reading as Gaeilge for pleasure. How could we encourage teachers and children to engage with and enjoy these books?

Dr Claire Marie Dunne from Marino Institute of Education and I put our heads together and came up with about 80 games and activities to explore the bosca. These were compiled into a booklet by CBI, and there's one in every Bosca Leabharlainne. The booklet will also be available online on childrenslaureate.ie as will video activities with selected Irish writers.

Every school that applied will get their Bosca Leabharlainne. A small number will also get a residency. Between now and the summer, a team of authors and illustrators will visit 20 schools to work with children and staff on having fun with leabhair Ghaeilge.

At this stage, I can only hope that every book and every Bosca Leabharlainne will spark joy. I hope that the invisibility cloak will be lifted and that children will begin to enjoy reading as Gaeilge for pleasure.

Simple campaign

A second strand of the campaign to lift the invisibility cloak from leabhair Ghaeilge do pháistí is Give Leabhar Gaeilge, a simple campaign asking every adult to buy an Irish language book for a child. We ran this campaign in 2021 when bookshops were emerging from lockdown, and now, for Seachtain na Gaeilge 2022, we are rolling it out again. I have selected eight recently published books for young readers. These can be found in your local Siopa Leabhar or in Dubray Books. You could choose a book from my selection or, if you prefer, you could explore the various Irish-language publishers online.

If a reader has very little experience of reading as Gaeilge, there's no problem starting with a book for a lower reading age

Remember that the recommended reading age is a moveable feast. Depending on exposure to reading as Gaeilge, chronological age and reading age don’t always match. If a reader has very little experience of reading as Gaeilge, there’s no problem starting with a book for a lower reading age. Working in Spain many years ago, I frequently read children’s books. As well as improving my reading, these books opened up a window on Spanish culture. The same applies to reading as Gaeilge.

So, for Seachtain na Gaeilge (which tends to last a month nowadays), Give Leabhar Gaeilge. Give a child you know the joy of reading as Gaeilge.