In the British parlance, Éamon Ó Cuív TD opines that in the realm of politics, the significance of the Irish language isn’t given due gravity. He asserts that most perceive it as an amicable matter, however, snub its financial sustenance and strategic planning. This criticism holds substantial weight considering it arises from a former Gaeltacht Minister, whose party, Fianna Fáil, is part of the coalition government.
Despite the ambition for a meticulous plan called the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language, which aimed to escalate the count of daily Irish speakers to 250,000 from 77,000 by 2030, the strategy was never fully effectuated, as lamented by Ó Cuív. The idea was for an inclusive, cohesive approach, however, the systemic enterprise fell short of achieving its goals.
According to Ó Cuív, there is a prevalent disposition of understanding towards the Irish language amongst the country’s politicians. Yet, this initiates frustration within the Irish-speaking community, which questions the inability of these very politicians to take any substantial initiative for improving their situation.
Citing the demands of the diverse political landscape, Ó Cuív points out that politicians need to narrow their focus on specific policy sectors. This means selecting primary issues on which they will concentrate their time and efforts. Some members, particularly those in Coiste na Gaeilge, he mentions, do allocate significant time to language issues.
Every politician brings a unique set of skills to the table. There is a prevalent impression that the progression of the Irish language is seeing substantial delays from the government’s side, disrupting the efforts of numerous campaign bodies. Groups like Conradh na Gaeilge pose queries on the government’s inability to implement policies concerning investment and housing in the Gaeltacht, despite their clear recommendations.
Political systems are known for their slow processes. The examination of each proposed policy is necessary, causing inevitable postponements. Personal views of politicians also play a significant role in policy formation, hence not entirely dependent on lobbying groups.
Ó Cuív firmly believes that Irish language organisations are effectively pushing their agenda. However, the responsibility of enacting public policies ultimately lies on the politicians. As per Ó Cuív, addressing all issues concerning the Irish language is beyond the capabilities of a single Minister for the Gaeltacht and requires more comprehensive support from the government, especially from the Taoiseach, to optimise the resources intended for the language.
On standing up for their causes, Ó Cuív states that “the struggle is persistent”. However, he also accepts that every political decision involves some combat for resources. Ó Cuív finds the Department of Public Expenditure unsupportive of the Irish language. Their seemingly negative approach is simply due to their role in regulating public spending.
Previously, Ó Cuív, as the Minister for the Gaeltacht, felt deeply supported by the administrations of Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowan. Regrettably, he doesn’t sense the same level of support currently. Nonetheless, he acknowledges recent progress in language promotion, mentioning substantial growth in state notifications in Irish following the amendments to the Official Languages Act in 2021. Last September’s launch of Cúla 4, a children’s TV channel in Irish, also got mentioned.
However, these advances are considered not enough as they only represent “a step forward,” according to Ó Cuív. He also noted that the provision for Irish language advertisements was present in the 2003 Official Languages Act, but it was never wholly brought into effect.
Ó Cuív believes that funding for Irish language broadcasting remains precarious, particularly in comparison to its English-language counterpart. Alongside this, there’s been growing concern over the housing crisis in the Gaeltacht area in recent years. A lobbying group called Bánú was founded in Indreabhán last year to address this pressing issue.
Bánú suggests that this housing crisis has had a damaging impact on the state of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht region. The younger generation of Gaeltacht natives often face overwhelming obstacles when seeking to return home, largely due to issues securing planning permission. A common grievance is the lack of clear guidance in the planning process. The widespread sale or rental of properties on AirBnB has also been pointed out as a serious issue, as it elevates housing prices for local residents.
Recognising the urgent nature of Gaeltacht’s housing predicament, Ó Cuív insists “practical solutions” are needed to bring certainty to the planning process. He highlighted the challenges faced by Galway County Council regarding planning applications, with engineers claiming their suggestions align with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, yet their plans still being denied by County Council planners.
Ó Cuív, however, remains hopeful that Údarás na Gaeltachta can play a key role in resolving housing issues in the Gaeltacht. Údarás na Gaeltachta’s CEO, Tomás Ó Síocháin, views Gaeltacht housing from a fresh perspective, understanding the authority’s role as a supplier of land, rather than a planning body.
Bánú is imploring the authority to sell suitable sewage infrastructure sites to locals at an affordable price. In the past December, An tÚdarás announced their plans to allocate €250,000 towards a housing development scheme across three Gaeltacht locations: An Rinn, An Cheathrú Rua and Gaoth Dobhair.
With Fine Gael’s transition of leadership and their impending selection of a new Taoiseach this week, attention is inevitably drawn to the impending general election. If this coalition government could do one beneficial thing for the Irish language, what should that be?
The Authority is being urged to make wastewater infrastructure sites available for purchase by locals at reasonable rates – a move dubbed as ‘whitewashing.’ In the previous year, An tÚdarás declared their intention to allocate €250,000 towards a residential construction project across three Gaeltacht regions, namely An Rinn, An Cheathrú Rua, and Gaoth Dobhair.