Languages Connect Summit

Inspiring Language Teaching and Learning for the Future

Saturday October 14 was a landmark event in the field of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) education in Ireland with over 1,200 guests in attendance at one of the largest events ever for MFL teachers – the Languages Connect Summit. Spearheaded by Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) in collaboration with stakeholders such as the Department of Education, Oide, Leargas, HEIs, COGG, the NCCA and many others, the Summit was a celebration of languages and the work of MFL teachers in Ireland. It also underlined the progress of Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017 – 2026.

The day saw guests from 30 counties attending some of the 55 workshops and visiting a variety of our 65 exhibitor stands. Of the 1,200 guests, 700 are teachers passionate to continue their promotion of languages, with 140 student teachers just beginning their language teaching journey.

171 Foreign Language Assistants from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain also attended this exciting event, undergoing their own induction and discovering more about language teaching in Ireland.

This event was also a great opportunity for exhibitors and attendees alike to collaborate with one another, while working towards the common goal of the creation of a more relevant Ireland in a European context through the promotion of languages.

The jam- packed day saw keynote speakers such as CLIL expert Dr. Marissa Pérez Cañado, whose work has featured in over 100 articles, Professor Terry Lamb, professor of languages and interdisciplinary pedagogy at the University of Westminster as well as comedian and meditation expert Dermot Whelan.

There was a panel discussion where attendees had a conversation about inspiring language learning headed by CEO of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Peter Sherrard, Language Affairs Officer for the European Commission, Eimear Ní Bhroin, Post-Primary School Principal, Sarah-Jane Willis and Account Strategist Rafal Radziszewski. 

Dermot Whelan concluded the day with his meditation “Unwreck Your Head, Destress Your Life!” where he introduced the audience to ways to tackle stress, leaving attendees rounding out the event cool, calm and collected.