Warrenstown set to see a student influx once again

Student life could be about to return to Warrenstown College again with the news that nationwide Irish language youth organisation, Coláiste na bhFiann, is finalising negotiations with the Salesian congregation about the long-term use of the former horticultural college premises at Drumree. The organisation intends to move its head office from Monkstown, Co Dublin, to Warrenstown before this summer. Coláiste na bhFiann has run residential summer Irish courses for 12 to 18 year-olds in Warrenstown College for the past three years. These courses are similar to the Gaeltacht experience but are run in alternative locations around the country. Coláiste na bhFiann is also involved in a number of youth clubs in County Meath and works closely with the Meath Gaeltacht, Ráth Cairn, where it has been running Irish summer courses since 1976. It has over 40 years' experience of nurturing the Irish language to 2,000 participants every year on their Irish courses in several locations around the country. It offers four different types of summer courses to suit various ages and levels of Irish. Among the locations used are Sligo, Killarney, Rosmuc, Athlone and their newest location, Dundalk Grammar School, which is opening this summer. Commenting on the new venture, Caitríona Ní Cheallaigh, CEO of Coláiste na bhFiann, highlighted the importance of the role of young people in fulfilling the targets of the 20-Year Irish Language Strategy recently launched, which aims to increase the number of daily or active users of Irish from the current level of approximately 72,000 to 250,000. "The Warrenstown project will take the language out of the classroom by providing unending activities to suit the various groups using the centre," she said. "The emphasis will be on speaking 'as Gaeilge', reinforcing Irish as a living language." As well as running Irish language activities for young people, this new venture will enable Coláíste na bhFiann to further develop their leadership training programme, which is at the core of the work of the organisation. Cumann na bhFiann, the group's youth club structure, organises weekly or fortnightly Irish language youth clubs giving young people the opportunity to use and improve their spoken Irish. Cumann na bhFiann also organises various nationwide annual events, such as concerts, discos, weekends away and other activities. This latest development in the work of Coláiste na bhFiann will provide opportunities for young people to experience action-packed activities run through the medium of Irish, making the language a living language, it added. Heretofore, this was only possible by attending a three-week course in the summer. Fr John Horan, Irish Provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco, which owns Warrenstown College, said: "We are delighted to be associated with Coláiste na bhFiann as it is an educational body working for young people and the Irish language and culture. It is in keeping with our own Salesian ethos and our interest in furthering the education and well being of young people and their families."