Waterford Educate Together National School is immensely proud to be the only primary school in the South East to receive the Gaelbhratach (Irish Language Flag), awarded in June 2022.
This achievement reflects the passion, effort, and enthusiasm of our pupils, staff, and wider school community in promoting Irish language and culture each day.

At WETNS, we celebrate Gaeilge as a living, joyful language — one that belongs to us all.

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☘️ Living Gaeilge in WETNS

We work hard to make Gaeilge an active, natural part of daily school life. Some of the ways we promote Irish include:

Irish Thursdays — ‘Déardaoin na Gaeilge’

Every Thursday is Irish Day in WETNS, when we make an extra effort to speak as much Gaeilge as we can.

Raidió na Scoile

Each class takes turns delivering school news ‘as Gaeilge’ over the intercom — a favourite tradition among pupils!

Físeáin & Raibhloganna (Irish Videos)

Pupils record short videos, tongue twisters, or fun Irish challenges which are then shared on our school website.

Nathanna na Seachtaine

We choose a new phrase each week and encourage everyone to use it across the school.

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Gaeilgeoir na Seachtaine

Each class selects their Irish Speaker of the Week — a pupil who has made a special effort to use Gaeilge.
Winners receive a teastas (certificate) and a moment of well-deserved recognition.

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Golden Frames & Corn na Gaeilge

To encourage friendly competition and pride in using Irish, we have:

• Fráma Órga (Golden Frames) on each floor

  • Awarded monthly to the class putting the most effort into speaking Irish

  • Separate awards for Infants, 1st–3rd, and 4th–6th classes

• Corn na Gaeilge

  • A termly cup presented to the class showing the strongest commitment to Gaeilge

These small motivators help keep excitement high and ensure everyone feels included in our Gaelbhratach journey.

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Celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge

Every year, we mark Seachtain na Gaeilge with a range of special events such as:

• Ceili Mór

• Tráth na gCeist (Irish quiz)

• Classroom challenges and fun activities

We adapt the celebrations as needed — during Covid-19, our Tráth na gCeist moved to the intercom and the Ceili Mór was held outdoors with class bubbles — ensuring the tradition continued safely and joyfully.

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A Multilingual Community

WETNS is a school proud of the many languages spoken by our pupils. Gaeilge holds a special place among them, celebrated not instead of, but alongside all the languages that enrich our community.

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Why the Gaelbhratach Matters

Earning the Gaelbhratach recognises:

• Our active promotion of the Irish language

• Our school-wide teamwork and daily effort

• Our commitment to celebrating Irish culture

• Our belief that Gaeilge should be accessible and enjoyable for every child

We are delighted to be a Gaelbhratach school and look forward to continuing to foster a love of Gaeilge for many years to come.