Govt. decisions on 20-Year Strategy for Irish Language announced (3/6/11)

[Darren J. Prior]

Edited press release below:

"Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs, Dinny McGinley T.D., announced today (3 June 2011) that final decisions have been taken by the Government regarding the new definition of the Gaeltacht and the implementation structures for the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language. These decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (31 May 2011).

The Minister of State said: "I am delighted that final decisions have been made by the Government regarding the implementation of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language. As a result, officials in my Department, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, can proceed with drafting the Heads of the Gaeltacht Bill. I hope that the Bill will be published as soon as possible, depending on the Government's legislative schedule."

The new definition of the Gaeltacht will be based on the 20-Year Strategy and on the recommendations made in the Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht. The Minister of State said: "My Department, in conjunction with other State bodies, will work closely with Gaeltacht communities on the ground in order to assist them in developing and implementing language plans, which will incorporate all aspects of community life."

Regarding the implementation structures for the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language, the Minister of State said: "These Government decisions will ensure that existing structures will be used to deliver the Strategy and that the functions of the key stakeholders with responsibility for implementing the Strategy, both within and outside of the Gaeltacht, will be clearly defined."

The Minister of State said: "As a result of these Government decisions, I believe that the future of Údarás na Gaeltachta is secure, that Údarás na Gaeltachta will retain its statutory functions and that Údarás na Gaeltachta and other enterprise agencies will cooperate to ensure investment in the Gaeltacht."

Information for Editors

The 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 - 2030 is available at Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs - Irish Language.

New definition of the Gaeltacht

* Provision will be made in the Gaeltacht Bill for a new statutory definition of the Gaeltacht, which will be based on linguistic criteria rather than on geographical areas, as is currently the case.
* Provision will be made under the legislation for a language planning process in order to prepare language plans at community level for each Gaeltacht area and for the Minister to approve and review those plans periodically.
* Statutory status will be given to a new type of 'network Gaeltacht' area outside the existing statutory Gaeltacht areas. These will be areas, predominantly in urban communities, that will have a basic critical mass of community and State support for the Irish language.
* Gaeltacht Service Towns, i.e. towns which service Gaeltacht areas, will also be given statutory status.


Implementation structures under the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language

* The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will retain primary responsibility for matters concerning the Irish language, both within and outside of the Gaeltacht.
* Foras na Gaeilge will continue to fulfil its responsibilities on an all-island basis as an agency of the North South Language Implementation Body.
* The Department, in partnership with relevant State bodies, will be responsible for the implementation of the Strategy outside the Gaeltacht. The potential for Foras na Gaeilge to deliver certain elements of the Strategy, on an agreed basis, will be explored.
* Údarás na Gaeltachta will be responsible for the implementation of the Strategy within the Gaeltacht.


Údarás na Gaeltachta

· The status quo will be maintained regarding the current functions of Údarás na Gaeltachta, including its enterprise functions, subject to the following:

(c) statutory provision to enable the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to direct Údarás na Gaeltachta to focus its limited resources towards specific enterprise sectors; and

(d) the development of a mechanism to facilitate Údarás na Gaeltachta to cooperate with other enterprise agencies, particularly with regard to significant Gaeltacht projects with high potential.

* Provision will be made under the Gaeltacht Bill to significantly reduce the Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta and to end the requirement to hold elections."

END

I am happy that Údaras na Gaeltachta will keep their economic role and will work with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland on a formal basis. We should continue to have elections in the Gaeltacht so the UnaG board is democratically elected by the communities there though. What towns are going to be Gaeltacht Server Towns? Will the Govt. support the setting up of Gaeltacht Greasáin (Gaeltacht Networks) in the Galltacht by working with volunteers or will the Depts role only be to give them official recognition? I suppose Foras na Gaeilge could in theory play a valuable role here!

Thoughts???

[Progressive Feminist]

Hi, I don't share your joy that 'Údarás' will keep their economic role.
From my experience UnaG are a lot less useful than other agencies, completely overrated. Some people perceive it as advantageous having UnaG, I think it is the opposite.
I would've like to have seen its economic role scrapped.
Does it have any other role, or should I say, can it be seen to be fulfilling any other role?

[Darren J. Prior]

Hi, I don't share your joy that 'Údarás' will keep their economic role.
From my experience UnaG are a lot less useful than other agencies, completely overrated. Some people perceive it as advantageous having UnaG, I think it is the opposite.
I would've like to have seen its economic role scrapped.
Does it have any other role, or should I say, can it be seen to be fulfilling any other role?

It's ridiculous that we have had a Údaras na Gaeltachta servicing parts of Galway City and other areas that do not have a large number of Irish speakers never mind a majority of Irish speakers. Can you illuminate more on your experience of UnaG and their economic functions? When we have realistic Gaeltacht boundaries then the UnaG board (the councillors anyway) will be a realistic representation of what people in the Gaeltacht want I'm sure.

[Cato]

What are the criteria by which we will know if this strategy is a success? What can we expect to see after five years, ten years, etc?

What will happen to areas to lose their status? Will support for Irish in these areas vanish?

[Darren J. Prior]

What are the criteria by which we will know if this strategy is a success? What can we expect to see after five years, ten years, etc?

What will happen to areas to lose their status? Will support for Irish in these areas vanish?

The Strategy is broken down into three different phases I think.

I think the whole grant con thing about UnaG is wildly exaggerated so non-Gaeltacht areas currently within the official Gaeltacht will lose their status but that will be mostly it- they won't lose much money generally. Every area is different, in relation to your last question, and I can't think of anyone who could answer your question in the short-term.

[Progressive Feminist]

It's ridiculous that we have had a Údaras na Gaeltachta servicing parts of Galway City and other areas that do not have a large number of Irish speakers never mind a majority of Irish speakers. Can you illuminate more on your experience of UnaG and their economic functions? When we have realistic Gaeltacht boundaries then the UnaG board (the councillors anyway) will be a realistic representation of what people in the Gaeltacht want I'm sure.

UnaG economic functions....

Are you familiar with Pat Short's character in D'Video, D'unbelievables early to mid nineties, civil defense character, 'you'll do no show here tonight, sure your not booked for anythin' 'take the hand down down now fairly lively....' etc

Some of my experiences are first hand, some 'second hand' from people who have dealings with them.

From my experience of Gaeltacht people and communities, UnaG don't have the respect of communities.... There is considerable frustration at them, seen as an awkward useless bureaucracy... I cannot remember a good word said about them. I cannot think of many positives, if any, regarding that organisation either. "Tá siad ina gcodladh"

I read something somewhere sometime ago about between 5-10 Údarás 'officers' heading off to study aquaculture, in Canada i think, obscene cost, what irritates me is why the feck would you send them off instead of entrepreneurs or fishermen... Údarás staff won't invest in it, they won't even act as experts, they would probably use the info for 'ye can't be doing that lads' A waste of money, FAS style, it will probably continue, plenty of snakes and 'seilidí ramhra' in UnaG too.

They take credit where it isn't due... People don't like that either... like other state agencies they like to be seen supporting successful ventures, which is fair enough, except their help is never (that I've heard of) up to much, people complain that they will jump on the bandwagon with token assistance-(after being no help and if anything an obstacle), put on the sticker/label/logo, pose for photos and congratulate...

It's too late to get started... do you know about their leasing 'deals'?

Basically, dealing with other state agencies is a breath of fresh air in comparison.

[TonyBird]

Any mention in the plan for standardization of the language ?
Surely this should be the major focus ?
What other major languages tolerate such 'diversity' ?

[Progressive Feminist]

What are the criteria by which we will know if this strategy is a success? What can we expect to see after five years, ten years, etc?

What will happen to areas to lose their status? Will support for Irish in these areas vanish?

Who cares?!!

Joking

I for one think the future of the Irish language is in the urban areas. Not to suggest that rural Gaeltachtaí aren't important though...

There was a study done recently enough, grading specific areas within Gaeltachtaí, A B C, some found the results depressing.

There are great things happening though... the change in attitude over the last 20 years is remarkable...

[Progressive Feminist]

Any mention in the plan for standardization of the language ?
Surely this should be the major focus ?
What other major languages tolerate such 'diversity' ?

Are you joking?
The language was standardised... around the foundation of the free state.
Do you mean the 'review', apparently this might be mostly about grammar.

What other major languages tolerate such 'diversity' ? French? German?

[Darren J. Prior]

UnaG economic functions....

Are you familiar with Pat Short's character in D'Video, D'unbelievables early to mid nineties, civil defense character, 'you'll do no show here tonight, sure your not booked for anythin' 'take the hand down down now fairly lively....' etc

Some of my experiences are first hand, some 'second hand' from people who have dealings with them.

From my experience of Gaeltacht people and communities, UnaG don't have the respect of communities.... There is considerable frustration at them, seen as an awkward useless bureaucracy... I cannot remember a good word said about them. I cannot think of many positives, if any, regarding that organisation either. "Tá siad ina gcodladh"

I read something somewhere sometime ago about between 5-10 Údarás 'officers' heading off to study aquaculture, in Canada i think, obscene cost, what irritates me is why the feck would you send them off instead of entrepreneurs or fishermen... Údarás staff won't invest in it, they won't even act as experts, they would probably use the info for 'ye can't be doing that lads' A waste of money, FAS style, it will probably continue, plenty of snakes and 'seilidí ramhra' in UnaG too.

They take credit where it isn't due... People don't like that either... like other state agencies they like to be seen supporting successful ventures, which is fair enough, except their help is never (that I've heard of) up to much, people complain that they will jump on the bandwagon with token assistance-(after being no help and if anything an obstacle), put on the sticker/label/logo, pose for photos and congratulate...

It's too late to get started... do you know about their leasing 'deals'?

Basically, dealing with other state agencies is a breath of fresh air in comparison.

I know probably more about them then the average person but that is still slightly more then f-all so I am not going to get into an argument with you on them. That their remit covers more Galltacht areas then genuine Gaeltacht areas turns off my interest in them despite having an elected board. The Údaras will be interesting when the Gaeltacht boundaries are redrawn. That will bring realism to it. Their Cathaoirleach Liam Ó Cuinneagáin is good- not like you describe I think and I think they have at least some good councillors on their board. It's important that they still have democratically elected members on their board- by way of election like has been the case up until now.