Gifted Education in Ireland

Abstract

This article will outline the current status of gifted education in Ireland. To fully understand the picture, one needs to look at the history of the Irish education system and how educational decisions are made in the country. Political climate is often an important factor in how people view special education programs and Ireland is no different in that regard. The article will also chart Ireland’s attempts to define giftedness and how recent research in the gifted field has furthered our understanding in this area and can be used to broaden the sphere of programming that exists in Ireland for high-ability students.