Glossary: Criticism – censure; allocation – distribution; reflection – ponder; recruitment target – recruitment goal; establishment – institution; experts – specialists; structure – structure; keynote address; maintenance – preservation.
A notable lack of vision and creativity suggests that the promotion of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht is not a high priority for the government.
In response to the latest Budget, which did not significantly increase funding for the Gaelic-speaking community, many in the sector expressed disappointment. The decision to merely boost the budget by €9 million – €6 million for the Department of Gaeltacht and €3 million for TG4 – was met with disapproval from Sinn Féin and other language groups. They argue that this amount is insufficient to overcome the significant hurdles the language faces in and out of the Gaeltacht.
Justifying this year’s budget distribution, the Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs, Thomas Byrne, dismissed Sinn Féin’s critique. He countered by highlighting the government’s northern plan which entirely overlooked the Irish language.
“We might need to spend more, but we can achieve much with what has been confirmed in the Budget – it is a six per cent increment,” he defended.
“This is the highest amount we have ever invested in the Irish language and the Gaeltacht.”
On being asked about the merit of Conradh na Gaeilge and Meitheal Náisiúnta na Gaeilge’s proposal to double the state’s core outlay on language issues over a half-decade, he said it was worth pondering. The Minister noted the State’s strategic funding approach towards sporting bodies, which resulted in a substantial financial bump.
“We continually aim to increase our spend on it. I appeared on television last Tuesday where it was stated that we were over-investing. I am pleased with our current approach,” Byrne summed up.
The proposed initiatives – an agenda for digital, art, and national support for Irish language, and the hiring objectives outlined in the Language Act, is shaking things up for language, a change I am confident about.”
Conradh na Gaeilge lauded the government’s basic expenditure approach and is now urging for an urgent meeting to commence a well-organised procedure to realise the aim.
Gaeloideachas
For a while now, professionals in education and language institutes have been pressing Education Minister, Norma Foley, to unveil the Preliminary Policy on Irish-Medium Education outside the Gaeltacht region.
A recently introduced policy framework faced backlash for its lack of aspiration – absence of national language aspirations, right to study in Irish, and a raise in the proportion of students attending Irish-taught schools.
Towards the concluding stage of the government’s term, a letter was recently despatched to Minister Foley, endorsed by an assorted range of stakeholders, such as student groups, school student representatives, patron bodies, and language mediators.
The letter stridently prompts the Minister to “act without delay” in unveiling this crucial policy and to critique the framework policy again.
In the letter, they conveyed their sense of clarity from their engagement with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Irish Language, the Gaeltacht, and the Irish-speaking Community on 25th September stating that it was obvious that the Minister was oblivious of the framework’s content and, the significant issues that are plaguing the community of Irish-medium education.
They further wrote that there is a deep-seated discontent within the sector about what the framework represents and what it is. In its current state, the framework does not capture the directives and the study suggestions from the Units.
“You frequently talk about the rigorous consultation process, and it is indeed true, but the outcome of the process is not mirrored in the framework,” the letter stated.
The stakeholders are “urgently” urging for a meeting before the policy is made public to consider its implementation.
Language Planning
Field workers were busily engaged in duties on the sporting field when a crowd of approximately 150 individuals assembled at Croke Park on the previous Monday to participate in the 2024 Language Planning Convention.
The sight of the large heat lamps being moved eastwards across the park was an uncommon sight regardless of the inclement weather.
A gathering of language planners, policy authorities, language connoisseurs, and international guest speakers took place at Ógáin Terrace, a decade after original initiatives for language planning both within and beyond the Gaeltacht commenced.
The significant event was commemorated by the council of Foras na Gaeilge, although it equally provided a platform for analysis of current methods. The esteemed key speaker for the morning was Professor Dónall P Ó Baoill, a retired academic of Queen’s University Belfast, who did not hold back with his words.
He began his speech to shared laughter, stating unabashedly that not everyone may concur with his views, a fact he remained unperturbed by. Professor Ó Baoill clarified the terminology ‘Language Planning’ as defined by linguists, denoting the fortifying and enriching of the language itself, both as a medium and a system of correspondence.
However, he purported the efforts currently ongoing encompass a broader scope. The Gaeltacht is segmented into 26 distinct Language Planning Areas (LPAs), with towns rendering Gaeltacht services and Irish language networks beyond Gaeltacht also receiving recognition. These areas deploy language plans to bolster the use of Irish, aided by Language Planning Officers and their assistants.
Even though progression occurred across these elements, Professor Ó Baoill expressed his firm belief that certain aspects of the proposition were untenable. He attributed the barriers to inadequate support, funding, coordination and oversight. He stated, “The objectives, financial aid, personnel training and particularly the requisite oversight for progress monitoring, all suffer from inadequacies.”
According to the professor, a lack of meaningful harmonisation exists in the execution of the language plans, highlighting a necessity for a top-down and bottom-up strategy. He urged the administration to take a more proactive approach in planning and pointed to an immediate requirement for the establishment of an infrastructure to facilitate ongoing work and unite all stakeholders under a single banner.
However, he emphasised that the most glaring omission was the absence of necessary research to provide a sound scientific foundation for such initiatives.
“It’s evident that the ambition of enhancing regular Irish conversationalists in Gaeltacht communities via language planning was not successful; this was mainly due to insufficient guidance towards definitive measures to ensure tangible and noticeable outcomes.
Professionals are currently inaccessible to provide counsel and address queries. An unidentified professional platform or unit is required to manage all aspects of language planning.
Professor Ó Baoill initiated the term ‘Taighdelann’ to encapsulate his proposal of creating a research facility in a Gaeltacht area, which would focus on rectifying these systematic issues.
Expert advice from capable staff on diverse aspects of language planning would be available to all individuals and entities involved in Gaeltacht language planning.
A diverse ensemble of research specialists would operate from the Research Centre and concentrate on various linguistic areas. Apart from language planning, the academic needs of both Gaeltacht and Irish-medium education would be accommodated beyond the Gaeltacht regions.
Other invitees alluded to the exceptional efforts of language planners and the significant advancements in many areas of the discipline, including the inspiring case of Carntogher in County Londonderry, where substantial progress has been made in rejuvenating the Irish language over the past two decades.
But in light of Professor Ó Baoill’s remarks, one couldn’t help but reflect on another significant milestone: the twenty years that have elapsed since the Irish Linguistics Institute was disbanded.
The entire Irish language sector is clearly impaired due to a shortage of research development and acquisition of knowledge during this period. The ridge needs meticulous upkeep for the labour to yield results, as understood by the caretakers of Croke Park.”