Dingle/ An Daingean - Popular vote may make no difference

Common sense seems to have prevailed in the wrangle over the naming of the Kerry town, and whether it should be called An Daingean or Dingle.

Yesterday, over 1,000 people voted in a plebiscite to request the Government to change the name of the west Kerry Gaeltacht town from An Daingean to Dingle/Daingean Uí Chuis.

Despite the fact that the proposal was carried by over 90%, it could be presumed that the people had spoken and that would be an end to the matter.

Unfortunately, it may turn out to be a pyrrhic victory for the majority of the residents and ratepayers who were entitled to vote, as Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív had warned that he has no legal power to act on the results.

Because the Official Languages Act 2003 gave Irish-language names in Gaeltacht areas official status, there is no legal provision for towns to have official names in two languages.

While he has undertaken to meet Kerry County Council to discuss the implications of yesterday’s decision, Mr Ó Cuív seems to be of the opinion that it may have reverberations for the wider Gaeltacht areas.

Where the Kerry town is concerned, it is not simply a matter of a name change. Whatever is the ultimate outcome, that of Dingle carries a seriously valuable international recognition.