The prominence afforded to literacy in the Irish Primary School Curriculum has received considerable attention in recent years, spurred by PISA rankings, governmental priorities, public commentary and academic debate. At times, this discourse has presented literacy as a separate and distinct entity to the other areas of the curriculum, including the arts, social and scientific education. The current paper proposes a more integrated view of literacy’s role in the curriculum. Recent research on the teaching of literacy in the content areas has emphasised the potential of a disciplinary approach, which embraces the key skills, dispositions and forms of knowledge connected with reading, writing, speaking and listening in different disciplines. This paper examines some of the key features of disciplinary literacy, including its underpinning rationale and learning implications. It also highlights the potential for a disciplinary literacy lens in the review of the Primary School Curriculum, as well as associated opportunities and challenges.