Lá Mór na Gaeilge – the starting point
February 18, 2014
Up to 10,000 took part in the march in Dublin city at the weekend
Communities from all over Ireland, north and south, walked from the Garden of Remembrance to Dáil Éireann in Dublin on Saturday to show their dissatisfaction with the Government’s treatment of the Irish language, all as a part of Lá Mór na Gaeilge.
Buses from every corner of the country travelled to Dublin from early on Saturday morning where members of the Irish-speaking and Gaeltacht communities of all ages gathered to demand language equality and rights.
The large crowd was lively as the march made its way through the city centre with most of the participants carrying red flags and wearing red clothing to demonstrate the ‘Dearg le Fearg’ theme. The march, organised by Conradh na Gaeilge, made its way to Molesworth Street where a rally and celebration took place with music and guest speakers.
General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge, Julian de Spáinn, said “Gaeltacht and Irish-language communities north and south are not happy with either Government, as their basic human right to use their language is neither being supported nor legally protected sufficiently”.
“The aim of Lá Mór na Gaeilge was to drive the Governments to recognise and appreciate the importance and the value of the Irish language for this country, as well as acknowledging the fact that the majority of people on this island have a love for the language, but Saturday’s march is just the beginning – we will continue to campaign our public representatives until we achieve fairness and equality for the Irish-speaking and Gaeltacht communities throughout the island of Ireland”, he said.
Based on the recommendations of An Coimisinéir Teanga and those voiced at public meetings across the country, below are the demands Conradh na Gaeilge agus the attendees of Lá Mór na Gaeilge are calling for to ensure language rights and equality for Irish:
The Gaeltacht community must be guaranteed State service through Irish, without condition or question, by the end of 2016;
State services must be made available in Irish to the Irish-speaking community at the same standard as they are provided in English;
A comprehensive rights-based Irish-language act must be enacted in the north;
The Official Languages Act 2003 must be strengthened in 2014;
The derogation of the status of Irish as an official language of the European Union must not be renewed after 1 January 2017; and
The Irish-language and Gaeltacht community must be recognised as stakeholders in the implementation of The 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 – 2030 in the south and in the Irish-Language Strategy in the north.
Starting point
Saturday’s march has been described as the starting point for a major campaign that aims to achieve equality for the Irish language and Gaeltacht communities.
The next step for the campaign is a march in Conamara on Sunday, 23 February, to coincide with Seán Ó Cuirreáin’s resignation as Coimisinéir Teanga.
The march ‘Slán le Seán’ will begin at 2.00pm at Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga in An Spidéal. A letter will be given to Seán Ó Cuirreáin thanking him for 10 years of service and the crowd will then make their way to the Headquarters of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in Na Forbarcha where a letter will be left for Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Dinny McGinley T.D., highlighting the public’s dissatisfaction with the Government.
Further plans for the campaign will be discussed at a seminar that will take place on 28 February 2014, at 8.00pm as a part of the program for Ard-Fheis Chonradh na Gaeilge in Killarney, Co. Kerry.
It is hoped that the success of Saturday’s demonstration will be repeated in Belfast on 12 April where a march to highlight the needs of Irish speakers and the challenges they face in the six counties.
Advisory Committee
Speaking on Adhmhaidin on Raidió na Gaeltachta on Monday, 17 February, Minister of State Dinny McGinley announced the formation of an advisory committee on the implementation of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language. The Minister if State said that the committee will be formed by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Foras na Gaeilge along with Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations arising from a meeting held with the organisations during the Summer.
During the interview on Adhmhaidin, the Minister also stated that the Government had committed to examining the demands being made by the campaign and that An Tánaiste, Éamon Gilmore, has agreed to meet with the organisers on request. Campaign organisers have said that a request for a meeting with An Tánaiste has already been made.
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