Dingle name change row to be election issue

THE lingering row over the official name for the west Kerry town of Dingle An Daingean rumbles on and is set to be a major general election issue — for the second time.

Officially, since the place names order of the Official Languages Act 2004 was introduced and supported by then Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív, the name of the town is An Daingean and Dingle is outlawed.

The name change, which caught most locals by surprise, caused massive upset and led to huge divisions between residents of the Irish-speaking peninsula and the town.

A plebiscite in 2006, confined to the town and conducted by Kerry County Council, overwhelmingly voted for the return of Dingle alongside a medieval Irish equivalent Daingean Uí Chúis.

However, the legislation for An Daingean remains, despite a promise by independent Kerry South TD Jackie Healy-Rae, at the last election, that it was top of his list of things to be done.

The Dublin Mayoral Bill in which the name change legislation was included will not now be passed.

Fergus O’Flaherty, chair of the Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis name change committee. vowed to fight on: “It was Dingle before our time. It is Dingle now. It will always be Dingle.”