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LÉIM: Léargas, Éabhlóid, Idirghníomhú, Muinín: Enhancing student wellbeing and Irish language engagement through CLIL-PE in DEIS settings.

The Challenge

In DEIS schools, disengagement with Irish is a common phenomenon, with exemptions from the subject reaching 34% by post-Primary level. Similarly, young people’s participation in physical activity and PE is known to decline in the early to mid-teens (Emmonds et al., 2023), particularly in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Children’s disengagement with Irish and PE compound disadvantage as they miss out on the psychological and cognitive benefits of language learning. Equally, disengagement with PE means that they fail to benefit from the wellbeing gains of physical activity.

To respond to this challenge, the LÉIM (Léargas, Éabhlóid, Idirghníomhú, Muinín) project is a collaborative endeavour between applied linguists, educationalists and PE specialists (SDG 17). It explores how the teaching of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) in Irish, through a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach (Coyle et al., 2010), can foster more positive engagement with both Irish and PE in DEIS settings.

In doing so, it seeks to promote good health and well-being (SDG 3) and reduce inequalities bysupporting young people in such schools to derive the same benefits from this approach as students in Irish-medium contexts (SDG 10).

The approach, known as CLIL-PE, in which subject disciplines are learned through the medium of an additional language, shows strong potential to enhance motivation, physical activity and language development (Salvador-García et al., 2020; 2022), thus contributing to quality educational provision (SDG 4).

The Research

The aims

Funded by the Barr na gCnoc university–community partnership, a central aim of the project was to develop a realistic and adaptable CLIL-PE intervention for DEIS schools that would give learners a positive and fulfilling experience of learning Irish and PE that was equitable and allowed for full participation without a prohibitive cost.

A further aim of the project was to develop such an intervention through an engaged research design, developed in sustained collaboration with the primary teachers who would deliver the intervention.

Methodology

The research began with school visits, engagement with principals and teachers to explore our potential intervention. These important insights directly informed the co-design of a six-week CLIL-PE intervention focused on the development of FMS through Irish.

A targeted, bespoke CPD intervention session was subsequently designed to support teachers to deliver the intervention in schools. The session was held in collaboration with Na Piarsaigh GAA Club, who are also based on the North Side of Cork City.

Teachers delivered the intervention in schools for six weeks in October-November 2025. Throughout the process, participating teachers kept reflective diaries to record student engagement, participation and use of Irish. Students were also interviewed at the end of the intervention to gather their views.

Funday at the Mardyke Arena facilitated by undergraduate students from PESSA.Funday at the Mardyke Arena facilitated by undergraduate students from PESSA.

The Impact

From the perspective of children and teachers, the LÉIM project was considered successful in engaging learners in PE and Irish in active, purpose-orientated ways. It further demonstrates how an interdisciplinary, community-engaged approach can generate meaningful change in both educational practice and learner experience. Some of these impacts can be seen in our outputs and engagement so far:

Community collaboration, training and events

The LÉIM project owes its impact to diverse members of the Cork community, including the teachers and students of Strawberry Hill NS, Scoil Padre Pio NS and St. Mary’s On the Hill NS, Na Piarsaigh GAA Club, Barr na gCnoc and Ionad na Gaeilge Labhartha, Undergraduate students from the Physical Education, Sports Studies and Arts (PESSA) programme.

  • 5 Hour CPD Session for 8 Primary Teachers from the North Side of Cork City schools at Na Piarsaigh GAA Club.
  • ‘Ag bogadh le chéile, ag foghlaim le chéile, agus ag labhairt na Gaeilge le chéile’ Mardyke CLIL-PE funday event led by student teachers in the PESSA undergraduate programme.

 

Reports, Articles and Press
  • Combining Movement and Language: A PRISMA Systematic Review on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)in Physical Education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. [Peer Reviewed]
  • Trends in Applied Linguistics: CLIL-PE [Edited Volume]. De Gruyter. [In preparation]
  • ‘Irish now: Gaeilge through games rather than grammar.’ Irish Examiner
Conferences
  • In June 2025, we presented our systematic literature review at the PEPAYS conference at UCC.
  • In April 2026, our work was presented at the 11th Spring Research Conference on Multilingual Acquisition at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya.
  • In May 2026, we will present a conference paper and a CLIL-PE workshop at the Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI) conference in May 2026 at University of Galway.
Curriculum Development
  • CLIL-PE Intervention Booklet
  • Screen shots of pedagogical videos to exemplify CLIL-PE from funday event in  Mardyke arena. 
  • Report of findings to inform the wider countrywide CLIL-PE project run by Comhairle um Oideachais Gaelachta agus Gaelscoilaíochta (COGG).
Broader Impact (Local, National and Global)

Local: The LÉIM project is helping us in the School of Education to develop new, research-informed approaches in ITE programmes at UCC. It has also helped us to strengthen links with local teachers, pupils, and areas of Cork, demonstrating how our research can have a visible, local impact.

National: Our research findings have been reported to COGG, the national body responsible for the wider CLIL-PE programme in Irish-medium settings. Our team is now also engaged in supporting the development of their provision, a project forms part of a broader action plan led by the Department of Education and Youth.  

Global: The project directly contributes to SDGs 3, 4 and 10 in providing high quality, equitable opportunities in education that promote healthy living and positive wellbeing. Additionally, the project demonstrates what can be achieved through community engagement (SDG 17) to confront global challenges.

Knowledge Production Impact
  • The LÉIM project and our future edited volume address a significant gap in the under-researched field of CLIL-PE.
  • Our research provides a foundation for future interdisciplinary research at the intersection of language, movement, and education.
  • Given our impact, we have also secured funding for a further iteration of the project in September 2026, which will help us build more evidenced-based theories and practices around the benefits of CLIL-PE.
Policy and Professional Impact
  • Supports teacher CPD at the local level
  • Offers a scalable model for integrating language and content in primary education to support national priorities in Irish language education.
Societal and Cultural Impact
  • Promotes more positive attitudes towards Irish and PE among students in DEIS contexts.
  • Contributes to the normalisation of Irish as a lived, active language within school and community settings.
  • Reinforces connections between the UCC and children from disadvantaged backgrounds to build new pathways to higher education.

Teachers participating in the CPD training session at Na Piarsaigh GAA Club.Teachers participating in the CPD training session at Na Piarsaigh GAA Club.

For More Information

A further iteration of the project will run again in September 2026, which will give us an opportunity to improve the intervention based on feedback from last year.  

If you would like to know more about the project, please contact

 

"They can see the purpose of doing it… it’s like language for a reason… they're more excited to do that.” 

   – Participating Teacher

 

Banner Image

Pupils of Scoil Padre Pio in Churchfield ag imirt dodgeball at the Mardyke Arena in Cork as part of the 'Barr na gCnoc' programme. Picture: Dan Linehan (Irish Examiner)

 

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