Putting mouth where your money is ... as gaeilge
Anyone wanting to buy one of 18 apartments in the Gaeltacht village of Spiddal will have to put their mouths where their money is and convince the seller that they can speak Irish. Would-be occupants will have to prove their prowess by submitting qualifications recognised by the Department of the Gaeltacht or by presenting themselves for a half-hour interview as Gaeilge.
The condition of purchase was laid down in planning permission granted by Galway County Council for the 300,000-per-unit complex developed by local businessman, John Foye.
But it was only last Friday after the first advertisements for the development appeared in estate agents brochures, or at least the English version of auctioneer-speak, that the final details of the agreement were hammered out.
Mr Foye, owner of the Cruiscín Lán hotel and restaurant, can sell 11 of his 29 apartments in the Bruach na hAbhainn development to non-Irish speakers but he can only dot the i’s and cross the t’s on the contracts for the other 18 with buyers who know how to dot i’s, cross t’s and correctly insert fadas.
The historic agreement was revealed by Nuacht TG4, which noted that several other developers in the neighbouring Gaeltacht villages of Barna and Carraroe, who have recently received planning permission with similar conditions, were waiting with baited breath to see how it would apply in practice.
The move to give priority to Irish speakers follows intensive lobbying by Irish language campaigners worried about the possible dilution of the Irish-speaking character of the area.
Some are believed to be unhappy that not all new buyers will be subject to linguistic testing but one further condition should ease their concerns as those who buy the apartments under the Irish-only rule will not be able to rent them to tenants without similar language skills for 10 years.
What new occupants will get for their money, apart from peace of mind that they are helping to preserve the mother tongue, is a “luxury two-bedroomed home finished to the highest standards with private parking in a historic and vibrant seaside village”.
Teanga troubles are never far away, however, as the ad also says the apartments are ideally located within walking distance of all amenities, including pub, restaurant, pier and “beech”.
