The responsibility for the Gaeltacht affairs has been reassigned to a minister from Fianna Fáil, in part due to a lack of language proficiency amongst Fine Gael ministers. The newly appointed office-holder will be Thomas Byrne, previously serving as the Minister of State for Sport. This assignment was formerly under the purview of Fine Gael via Patrick O’Donovan, when he was the junior minister for the Office of Public Works.
The announcement initially caused a minor disruption on Wednesday afternoon, with uncertainty around who the appointed Minister would be. Hildegarde Naughton, the Chief Whip, was considered by Fine Gael sources to be the likely choice, having been put forward for the role.
A government spokesperson subsequently clarified that Thomas Byrne is actually assuming the Gaeltacht Minister role. He is a fluent speaker who went through Irish-medium education and is teaching his children likewise. Furthermore, he has ties to the Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht in County Meath.
The Gaeltacht portfolio was handled by Fine Gael following a change in taoiseach role between both parties in late 2022. In the beginnings of the government period, the duty was with Jack Chambers, the Chief Whip from Fianna Fáil. Subsequently, Hildegarde Naughton did not take up the role when she succeeded him as Chief Whip.
The Gaeltacht duty posed a hurdle for Fine Gael ministers due to their deficiency in Irish language skills or unwillingness. The return of the portfolio to Fianna Fáil was well received by the party.
In response to Thomas Byrne’s appointment, Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee, the vice-chair of the Coiste na Gaeilge in the Oireachtas, was highly enthusiastic. She highly praised his deep understanding of the language, issues related to minority tongues, and the predicaments and prospects of Gaeltacht communities. He used to regularly contribute to media in Irish language and was known to make statements in Irish during his term as European affairs minister while in Brussels.
Clifford-Lee commended Byrne for his dedication and diligence, expressing eagerness to discuss an array of topical issues they would be dealing with.
Historically, the Gaeltacht brief has been a vexing issue for Fine Gael’s leaders. Controversy arose in 2014 when Enda Kenny named Joe McHugh, a Donegal TD, as the Gaeltacht Minister. The selection received criticism due to McHugh’s rudimentary grasp of the Irish language. Nonetheless, during McHugh’s ministerial tenure, he attained impressive fluency in Irish. This was achieved through extensive learning via intensive courses and employing a driver who conversed solely in the Irish language with him.