Official Languages Act Review (2011/early 2012)

[Fun with Irish]

Irish people aren't prepared to totally abandon the language, but most aren't prepared to learn it either - surely that should arouse your 'interest' not a spurious theory that the political class are engaged in some nefarious linguistic conspiracy.

It's exactly that mixture that arouses my interest although I would never employ your terms "nefarious linguistic conspiracy" as they
don't reflect the reality. That is exactly what you have written. Irish people aren't prepared to totally abandon the language, but aren't prepared to learn it either. Which is because they aren't prepared to speak it either. To them it's a token. Some people want to learn and speak it and the community is happy to see those people accommodated. And the State uses Irish as a political icon. An Irish solution to the quintessential Irish problem.

Left like that, the whole thing works quite well unless some of the tokenists want to 'abolish Irish' or some of the revivalists want to advance their concept outside their own circle.

I guess now that "nefarious" and "conspiracy" have made their appearance, it's time to quit this thread.

[Joeyjoejoe]

The reason Irish is compulsory is because the majority aren't prepared to totally abandon the language, even if they don't want to speak it (for a variety of reasons - shame, inertia, economics etc). At the moment we have the worst of both worlds - teaching Irish in English medium schools is not working while the State is blocking the growth of Irish medium schools - which do work. The minority who wish to live their lives through Irish are not being catered for - even in the Gaeltacht the State forces people to speak English.

[Fun with Irish]

...At the moment we have the worst of both worlds - teaching Irish in English medium schools is not working while the State is blocking the growth of Irish medium schools - which do work. The minority who wish to live their lives through Irish are not being catered for - even in the Gaeltacht the State forces people to speak English.

Is it possible for any system to cater for the separate life of a minority on an equal basis with the majority? In the end, Irish speakers carry on their lives in the English-speaking country - for jobs, for information, nearla all human contact, etc. etc. And since they are themselves native English-speakers they blend naturally with the population as a whole and there is no requirement for them be be continuously viewed as a minority.

I think that the Foras Pátrúnachta people at the Forum on School Patronage said that satellite Irish-language schools would be acceptable to them. That is, as a solution to the fact that for budgetary reasons the Department wants to avoid opening new small schools.

And if state employees favour English over Irish it is just because they themselves are all native speakers of English. They can't help it.

[ger12]

Is it possible for any system to cater for the separate life of a minority on an equal basis with the majority? In the end, Irish speakers carry on their lives in the English-speaking country - for jobs, for information, nearla all human contact, etc. etc. And since they are themselves native English-speakers they blend naturally with the population as a whole and there is no requirement for them be be continuously viewed as a minority.

I think that the Foras Pátrúnachta people at the Forum on School Patronage said that satellite Irish-language schools would be acceptable to them. That is, as a solution to the fact that for budgetary reasons the Department wants to avoid opening new small schools.

And if state employees favour English over Irish it is just because they themselves are all native speakers of English. They can't help it.

Yes, it is.

[Darren J. Prior]

1,400 submissions were made by the public on the review of the Act and 240 submissions were made by organisations and other groups!

[Darren J. Prior]

In order of date!

Éamonn Mac Niallais- Guth na Gaeltachta (12/01/12)

Éamon Ó Cuív TD- Acht na dTeangacha 2003 (17 Feabhra 2012)

Donnchadh Ó hAodha Uachtarán Conradh na Gaeilge (5/4/12)

Comh. Naoise Ó Muirí Fine Gael- Athbhreithniú ar an Acht Teangacha (2003)

[Darren J. Prior]

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh- Athbhreithniú ar an Acht Teangacha (2003)

[Darren J. Prior]

An Coimisinéir Teanga Seán Ó Curraoin launched his Tuarascáil 2011 or 2011 Report today. Last year only one of the nine gardaí working in the Gaoth Dobhair Garda station in Donegal could speak Irish. Now the figure is three but it is still bad. Anyway, here is his report- as Béarla as this thread is as Béarla (just click an leagan Gaeilge to read it in Irish).

An Coimisinir Teanga- Tuarascáil 2011

[Fun with Irish]

Please: Let us know when the Report is slated for discussion in the Dáil

[Evil Eco-Fascist]

An Coimisinéir Teanga Seán Ó Curraoin launched his Tuarascáil 2011 or 2011 Report today. Last year only one of the nine gardaí working in the Gaoth Dobhair Garda station in Donegal could speak Irish. Now the figure is three but it is still bad. Anyway, here is his report- as Béarla as this thread is as Béarla (just click an leagan Gaeilge to read it in Irish).

An Coimisinir Teanga- Tuarascáil 2011

Glad to see the number of people complaining about infringements of their language rights is rising, even if there is a lot of improvements to be made. Irish people were never great at making official complaints and they get away with this slopiness (non-language related slopiness included) when people don't have the confidence in themselves to raise an objection.

Probably a good idea to give people a summary news piece on the report Darren, as many people won't have the time or inclination to read the full report: http://www.gaelport.com/default.aspx...ewsItemID=7994