1 Early Reading in Irish Matt Mac Cárthaigh Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge
2 Early Reading and Irish Reading in general at such a young age Reading in Irish: why is it important? Availability of books
3 Reading at a Young Age The mechanics of reading (L R, T B) Children make up their own story to go with the pictures When an adult reads the story, they learn that the gobbledy-gook of text actually means something Being part of a group (group reading) Social bonding between adult and child
4 Reading in Irish: Why is it important? Irish is normal, like other languages Increasing language skills (vocabulary, richness of language, etc.) Increase in cognitive skills in Irish Increase in imagination
5 Reading in Irish: Availability Hundreds of books available today Lots of genres: stories, poems, songs Stuff published by An Gúm, Séideán Sí, Cló Mhaigh Eo, etc. Purchasable in bookshops, direct from the publishers, and on the web