Mary McCarthy: Census shows we need to teach Irish to everyone, but exams should be optional

Actor Paul Mescal won plaudits for raising awareness of the Irish language at the Baftas in February. Photo: Danny Moloshok/Reuters

Mary McCarthy

Census 2022 tells me we need to do something very different about how we teach Irish, and a few tweaks won’t be enough. We need an overhaul of the whole shebang – make exams optional and make fun conversational and cultural classes mandatory.