New Minister of State says ‘one person will not save the language’
Iúil 16, 2014
One person is not going to save the Irish language, Minister of State Joe Mc Hugh said in his defence after a blistering attack on the Government’s attitude to the language and the appointment of a non-fluent Irish speaker to the Gaeltacht Affairs portfolio.
Sinn Féin spokesman Peadar Tóibín said that while he would like to congratulate Mr McHugh and Cabinet Minister Heather Humphreys on their appointments, he could not because in his opinion it was unbelievable that the two Ministers did not have Irish when they had responsibility for the language.
He said the working language of the Department of the Gaeltacht would now become English because instead of the rows about translating documents into Irish they would now have to translate Irish documents into English so the Ministers would understand them.
He said there were 800 children in the Gaeltacht who were native Irish speakers and the Gaeltacht community was horrified at the Government’s lack.
Mr McHugh said: “I’m prepared to put in the work, like any job. I’ve already stated that I have to do a refresher course and I think this is about ensuring that the job is done correctly and I’m certainly going to do the best of my ability.”
He said one person was not going to save the language but the Ministers had a commitment to the language and to make it more widespread.
The Sinn Féin TD had asked in Irish what the Government was going to do to help Irish speaking communities to pass the language on to the next generation.
Mr Tóibín said he had no doubt about Mr McHugh’s commitment to learn the language at this stage but the ministry for the Gaeltacht was not an Irish language course. There are 800 children in this State with native Irish in schools in the Gaeltacht.
He said seven years ago the Irish language study stated that there was 20 years left with regard to Irish as a community language.
“There are 13 years left and the point of this is that now when people give out about English language documents having to be translated into Irish we’re going to have to have Irish language documents to be translated into English so the Ministers can understand them.”
“And the working language of the Department now becomes English because at the top of the Department the Ministers themselves can’t understand it.”
“You are saying to the children ‘learn Irish, speak Irish yourselves, speak Irish amongst yourselves but don’t speak Irish to us ‘cos we don’t have it.”
Mr McHugh said the question was about bringing the language into the home and getting parents speaking Irish.
The Minister said there was a challenge in thinking the language.
“I’m asking people to follow me in my journey, where we can reach out to people who got Cs and Bs and As in their Leaving Cert and don’t speak it but want to speak it and have a love and a grá for the Irish.”
Fianna Fáil arts spokesman Sean Ó Fearghaíl pointed to the protest by 10,000 people in Dublin in February to protest about the status of the language and what they see as this Government’s lack of commitment.
“I would take it that we have two new brooms in the Department. I don’t question your commitment but you’ll be judged at the end of the day by what you do.
“Can we see some renewed vigour on the part of yourself and the Minister of State in relation to the Plean Fiche Bliana.”
Ms Humphreys said they were committed to that. She said “I like many others learned school Irish but unfortunately if you don’t use it you lose it”.
The Minister said her parliamentary secretary got student of the year for his Irish but he was one of many who did not use it.
“We’re committed to the Irish language, absolutely. There is a huge cohort of the people there like myself. We need to book those people in and re-introduce the Irish language, that they can use it more regularly. And the big thing is the confidence because a lot of us know it but we don’t have the confidence to stand up and speak it.
“I just want to reassure you that I’m totally committed to the protection and the proper advancement of the Irish language and that it will be used much more in normal, everyday living.”
www.irishtimes.com
Agóid ag 13.15 inniu, 16.07.2014, ag Roinn an Taoisigh
Iúil 16, 2014
A chara,
Tá do thacaíocht de dhíth inniu más féidir in aon chor.
Tá ísliú stádais eile tugtha don Ghaeilge ó dheas ag an Taoiseach tríd Aire Stáit Gaeltachta nua a cheapadh nach bhfuil inniúil ar an nGaeilge agus is gá dúinn gníomhú láithreach.
Tá sé beartaithe againn, mar sin, agóid ghasta a dhéanamh lasmuigh de Roinn an Taoisigh inniu, Dé Céadaoin 16 Iúil 2014, ag 13.15 le cur i gcoinne cinneadh an Taoisigh.
Beimid ag bailiú lasmuigh de Roinn an Taoisigh (trasna ó Chearnóg Mhuirfean). Bheadh sé iontach ar fad dá bhféadfá a bheith linn agus muid ag léiriú go soiléir don Taoiseach nach bhfuilimid sásta len a chinneadh agus go bhfuil gá an fhadhb a réiteach láithreach.
Dar ndóigh, d’fheadfadh an Taoiseach an fhadhb seo a réiteach go simplí tríd cúram na Gaeltachta a thabhairt don Aire Stáit Aodhán Ó Riordáin atá bainteach anois leis an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta nó Séan Kyne a cheapadh mar Aire Stáit na Gaeltachta nó duine eile le Gaeilge.
Go raibh maith agat,
Julian de Spáinn, Conradh na Gaeilge
Dúil Dúigh na ndéagóirí
Iúil 16, 2014
Tá Pléaráca Teo ag reachtáil Cúrsa Samhraidh do Dhéagóirí – “Dúil Dúigh” – idir an Luan 21ú go dtí an Satharn 26ú Iúil. Beidh an cúrsa ar siúl i Seanscoil Sailearna Indreabhán, Co na Gaillimhe, agus tá sé dírithe ar dhéagóirí idir 14 agus 17 bliain d’aois.
Beidh deis ag na rannpháirtithe amharc ar conas scripteanna a scríobh agus ar bhealaí lena gcumas cruthaitheach féin a fhorbairt. Beidh na daoine óga a ghlacann páirt ag obair le scríbhneoirí, stiúrthóirí agus daoine aitheanta i saol na n-ealaíon a bheidh in ann comhairle a thabhairt dóibh ar an chineál seo oibre.
I measc na ndaoine a bheidh ag cuidiú leo: beidh an scríbhneoir Máire Holmes; na stiúrthóirí Darach Mac Con Iomaire agus Louise Ní Fhiannachta; an t-aisteoir Greg Ó Braonáin agus fear cumtha lúibíní, Fearghas Mac Lochlainn.
Eolas: oifigeachealaiona@gmail.com
They wouldn’t, would they?
Iúil 16, 2014
As rumours circulated this morning about the imminent elevation of Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh to the post of Minister of State at the Department of the Gaeltacht, Irish speakers reacted with a mixture of bemusement and anger.
They wouldn’t, would they? They couldn’t, could they? Ní ligfeadh an náire dóibh…
Despite their reputation for being easily offended, Irish speakers have learnt to roll with the punches over the years.
By necessity they have become fluent in all known dialects of double-speak. When it comes to paying lip service to the language, our political classes have long since lost their capacity to surprise all but the most naive of Irish speakers.
Just last week the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste published a ten-page Statement of Government Priorities for the next two years. There was no mention of the Irish language or the Gaeltacht. The Irish language speaker is under no illusion about how the language is viewed by Government, and it’s been a long time since anyone made him feel like a priority.
But this was different. Nobody saw this one coming. Even as the rumours on twitter about McHugh’s appointment hardened into confident predictions, some clung to the notion that the correspondents in Leinster House must be mistaken.The idea that the Taoiseach would appoint a non-Irish-speaking “Minister for the Gaeltacht” seemed a bridge too far.
Ní ligfeadh an náire dóibh…They wouldn’t, would they? They couldn’t, could they?
Well, they just did and we now have a Gaeltacht minister who doesn’t have enough Irish to conduct a credible live interview about Gaeltacht affairs with RnaG or Nuacht TG4. The disbelief at the promotion of McHugh is, of course, no reflection on a capable, hard-working and respected public servant, but choosing to assign to him the Gaeltacht brief is a radical departure from a tradition that was seen as almost sacrosanct. The Minister with primary responsibility for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language – whether of the junior or senior caste – has always been fluent in Irish.
Our politicians have often shown great ingenuity in finding new ways to undermine the language while simultaneously professing their unceasing commitment to its promotion, but for sheer audacity and shamelessness Enda Kenny has now set the bar higher than anyone imagined it could go.
Until now, no matter what fresh calamity befell the language, at least the people of the Gaeltacht could sleep safely at night in the knowledge that when they turned on Adhmhaidin on RnaG in the morning the Minister of the Gaeltacht would be up and about defending the indefensible in their own language. Now even that comfort has been taken from them. The last pretence has been dropped.
“Lads, did ye hear the one about the Minister of the Gaeltacht who couldn’t speak Irish?” Essentially, that is what the Taoiseach is asking us while trying to keep a straight face.
Reports suggest that Joe McHugh will be taking Irish classes in his native Donegal this summer, but his plans to upskill will be of little use to him tomorrow morning. The Minister for the Gaeltacht is scheduled to answer oral questions in the Dáil at 9.30am.
There may be more interest than usual.
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