Alt an-mhaith(as Béarla)

Gael

from the Times last year:

New clarity needed on Irish language issue

Pól Ó Muirí
The actual goals of the Irish language movement are much misunderstood by

the anti-Gaeilgeoir lobby, writes Pól Ó Muirí, Irish Language Editor.

It is Ireland's longest-running cultural conflict - what use the Irish language? The well-run and well-argued campaign of Conradh na Gaeilge and Stádas to have Irish recognised as an official language of the European Union has put the language issue back on the national agenda and, predictably, the usual suspects have been turning up to have their spake.

On one side, the modern Mahaffyites argue that Irish is a dead language; a waste of money; a medium of the mad, bad and rabid in this modern world and thank God for the English (language) conquest. It's made us who we are.

The language lobby reply that the mad, bad and rabid covers everything from Granny Gaeilgeoir in her kitchen to to Babaí Gaeilgeoir in his Gaelscoil and that they're here, part of the country, and proud of it.

There seems to be an impression amongst Gaelicphobes that the promotion of Irish is an attempt to "destroy" English. This is an assertion of such outlandish stupidity as to be almost unanswerable. The English language is the dominant world language of our era; that is a fact that Irish speakers recognise. The object of language maintenance is just that, to maintain, foster, protect a lesser-used medium against a global one.

In addition, those who work within the language sector do not dispute the legitimacy of English in Ireland or argue that English speakers are any less Irish than Irish speakers. What they dispute is that the English language is as comprehensive in its representation of Irish culture as its proponents suggest. (Explain, without recourse to Irish, how the leopard got into Leopardstown.)

Tóstal na Gaeilge, a biannual conference of language groups held recently in Galway, addressed many of the issues facing language planners - the Gaeltacht, cross-Border development, the Language Act and its implementation. One of the more notable speakers at the event was Dr Peadar Ó Flatharta, the acting director of DCU's Irish-language business unit, Fiontar.

Ó Flatharta is not the stereotypical activist who haunts the nightmares of those who pen Letters to the Editor. A native speaker from Conamara with an M.Sc in management from IMI and Trinity and a Ph.D from Henley Management College and Brunel University, Ó Flatharta gave a critique that laid bare the difficulties, challenges and successes of the language sector. Speaking in Irish, he argued the need for a national language policy that would elucidate "the vision which we as a nation have for the language and its future".

Due to the lack of such a policy, focus and energy were being lost and people "outside of the small world of the Irish language do not know what we are doing or what we wish to achieve. I do not know that any of the social partners know what we intend to do and the reasons we have for advancing the language and its importance in the country's life."

The lack of co-ordination amongst State and voluntary groups, as well as the lack of monitoring and implementation of initiatives, was creating a confusing and, at times, contradictory environment. To that end, the entire "State institutional infrastructure" ought to be rethought and a task-force set up "to review the resources that are available, the use of those resources and to fill the gaps in provision".

Within 48 hours, Éamon Ó Cuív had announced the launch of Coiste Comhairleach na Gaeilge (Irish-language Advisory Committee). Until the membership and number of people on the committee are announced, it remains difficult to gauge how effective it may be . Nevertheless, it is a small but illuminating chapter in language planning.

Nor were Ó Flatharta's comments directed at a closed shop. 350 delegates heard him speak and simultaneous translation facilities were available. That his remarks and those of other speakers received so little attention, outside of the dedicated Irish-language media, highlights the difficulty that groups have in even presenting their thoughts and arguments to the wider public. (Hence too the ease with which Irish speakers can be labelled "language fanatics". After all, you know what they're going to say even before they don't say it!)

Speaking in the Dáil in support of a motion to seek recognition of Irish as an official EU language, the Labour Party leader, Pat Rabbitte, argued the need for a "sensible approach to create a real bilingual society". He attacked Fianna Fáil's "lip-service" to Irish and "cultural cringe" which was "an undoubted historical feature of Irish, Australian and New Zealand life. In our own country it takes the form of the West British outlook, and the attitude encapsulated in the Dublin Opinion cartoon, 'Bhí Gaeilge agam. Now I have a big job.' "

Many in language organisations would echo Rabbitte's observations and accept the general thrust of his analysis, not least his reference to "cultural cringe".

More often than not, criticism of Irish seems to be simply contempt from people whose greatest cultural crisis is finding out that the wine is corked.

At its heart, Ireland's language movement is profoundly progressive; its roots lie in the work of continental philosophers and writers and their realisation that the song, poetry and speech of "peasants" was a rich, vibrant and intellectually vital world.

Indeed, Irish was part of a pan-European phenomenon decades before the advent of the EU.

That phenomenon still survives. Also speaking at Tóstal na Gaeilge, Paul A. Attard, a policy adviser to the Maltese Department of Education, spoke of his republic's pride in their language. They had sought official status despite the attempts of Commission officials to "dissuade" them.

He admired Irish speakers for their "strong commitment and enthusiasm" to their language: "This is your noble mission. This is your challenge."

It is a challenge that many continue to meet - and we're the better for their efforts.

simu

Tá suíomh acu anseo: http://www.tostal.ie/?leathanach=baile (Tóstal's site)

Gael

Alt eile an-mhaith le Pól Ó Muirí:

http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=news&news_id=25

Scarinae

Gael wrote:

There seems to be an impression amongst Gaelicphobes that the promotion of Irish is an attempt to "destroy" English

Cé a ceapann é sin? Psh, is truaflais é ar aon nós

Ceapaim go teanga álainn é an Ghaeilge, ach ar an drochuair níl Gaeilge líofa (ná Gaeilge maith) agam

Gael

Fishie wrote:

Cé a ceapann é sin? Psh, is truaflais é ar aon nós

Ceapaim go teanga álainn é an Ghaeilge, ach ar an drochuair níl Gaeilge líofa (ná Gaeilge maith) agam

Is maith liom an chaoi go bhfuil an Ghaeilge ar dtús i do shiniúchán agus an Béarla ar deireadh.

Is iasc me - Mormyrus sum - Soy un pez - Je suis un poisson - Ich bin eine fisch - Io sono un pische - Jag ar en fisk - Ik ben een vis - Eu sou um peixe - Jeg er en fisk - Egy hal vagyok - Ime ena psah-re - Na neun mul-gogi da - Watashi wa sashimi desu - Diggum doggin fishun - Ihay amhay ahay ishfay - I am a fish