Gaeltacht Bill is ‘woefully deficient’

The 2007 Linguist Survey of the Gaeltacht found that Irish had 15-20 years remaining as a community language without a change in the current Statepolicy, best described by Prof Joe Lee as ‘letting the language die by stealth’.

The personal commitment of Minister Dinny McGinley to the language is beyond doubt, but the Gaeltacht Bill before the Oireachtas is woefully deficient.

This is a question of priorities, not funding. Devolving the most-used public services to Údarás na Gaeltachta for delivery through Irish and devolving the Department of Education’s Gaeltacht role to An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta would make an seismic difference.

The enforcing of English as the default language by an indifferent, and sometimes hostile, public service has caused language shift, but this can be reversed. Communities with no desire to be in a Gaeltacht administered through Irish should opt out.

The Gaeltacht Bill as it stands places responsibility for language planning on community organisations and allows the powerful to carry on regardless.

Would the administration of the handful of remaining Irish-speaking parishes through Irish be all that difficult?

Would it mean the end of your world if mine were allowed to survive?

Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh BL

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