Udarás members should be directly elected, not appointed

Following a protracted campaign during the seventies, which involved the Gaeltacht Civil Rights organisation, students from UCC, Cumann an Chadhnaigh, many Gaeltacht and cultural bodies and organisations around the country, the government of the day granted a democratically elected Údarás to the Gaeltacht.

It has made a huge difference to what is most certainly a peripheral region. Prior to that, there had been a government-appointed body, which was not very successful.

Most Gaeltacht people would have no problem with the idea of reducing the number of members on the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta, given the financial crisis, and holding the election on the same day as any national plebiscite, for example, the upcoming referendum on children’s rights. Any extra cost would be minimal and only incurred once in five years.