Donegal well represented at Lá Mór na Gaeilge march in Dublin today
Feabhra 17, 2014
Donegal was well represented at the Lá Mór na Gaeilge march in Dublin today where it was reported that 10,000 took the streets.
Marchers gathered at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square and marched to Dáil Éireann to demand their language rights and equality for the Irish language. Coordinated by Conradh na Gaeilge, Lá Mór na Gaeilge was acelebration of Irish for all the family and a massive march forlanguage rights, attracting both members of the Irish-speaking community as well as those with a love for Irish, and drawing crowds of thousands into the streets to show their support for the language.
Donnchadh Ó hAodha, President of Conradh na Gaeilge says: “Conradh na Gaeilge extends its deepest thanks to the thousands that took to the streets ofDublin to take a stand for language rights, and to show the Governments north and south just how much support the language enjoys among the general public this Saturday, despite the atrocious weather across the country this past week. “Every single one of the ten thousand people that attended Lá Mór na Gaeilge was happy and willing to take a stand for the Irish language, to take proactive action to ensure a future for our language. Supporters of Lá Mór na Gaeilge have now put it up to the Governments north and south – are they now willing to take the challenge to choose a future for Irish by acting immediately on our demands?” In keeping with the Dearg Le Fearg / Red With Rage theme for Lá Mór na Gaeilge, the crowd wore red clothes and waved red flags in a striking symbolic display of their anger and disillusionment with the lack of Government support for Irish on Saturday.
Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge says: “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.” Conradh na Gaeilge organised Lá Mór na Gaeilge following The Language Commissioner Seán Ó Cuirreáin’s announcement that he would be stepping down on 23 February 2014 as a result of the lack of support for the language rights of the Irish-speaking and Gaeltacht community from the Government in the south.
The campaign for human rights gained momentum with the publication of a report by The Council of Europe on 16 January 2014 which noted that the growth and promotion of the Irish language in Northern Ireland is being blocked by hostile attitudes in Stormont, and a lack of support for its use in the courts and in education. 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.
www.donegaldemocrat.ie
