Coláiste Ailigh teacher Proinsias Mac a’ Bhaird has gained top marks from a past student who has nominated him for a special award.
Caoimhe Ní Chathail, a broadcast journalist from Donegal, has put Mac a’ Bhaird’s name forward for a Teachers Inspire award in recognition of his endless inspiration as an Irish and History teacher.
From Árainn Mhór in Donegal, Proinsias is also a well-known writer of prose and poetry.
The new Teachers Inspire initiative is aimed at highlighting and celebrating the enormous contribution made by teachers in Irish society.
Reflecting on her time at school, Caoimhe credited Prionsais Mac A’Bhaird as the teacher who had the strongest influence on her: “As students who were already fluent Irish speakers, we needed extra inspiration… He encouraged our interest and respect for the language, something which confirmed for me that I should continue with Irish in University and in my career.
“He was a source of expertise and he was always happy to share information, to inspire our writing and to encourage us to do our own research. These are all essential elements of my job as a journalist – so who knows where I would be without his classes.”
Over the past month, people all over Ireland have been urged to nominate teachers who transformed their lives and/or their community.
Stories of inspiring teachers can be submitted through the teachersinspire.ie website for a limited number of days, with the closing date for submissions on Saturday the 30th of June. The initiative will then culminate in the inaugural Teachers Inspire Ireland gala dinner on the 27th of September.
Some of the stories received to date focus on a teacher in the 1940s, who provided free secondary education for students in her locality. Another one is of a secondary school maths teacher, who supported one of his students to come out as a gay young man in the early 1990s.
Commenting today, the President of DCU, Professor Brian McCraith said, “We have received some remarkable entries to date about the transformative role teachers from Donegal – and across the country – have played in people’s lives, and the lasting impact they have had on their communities. We are delighted this initiative is highlighting the hugely important role teachers have played in Irish life – and continue to play – and we look forward to receiving even more inspiring entries before the deadline on 30th June.”
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