The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Irish is top of agenda for new Comharchumann manager
NURTURING and preserving the richness of the Irish language in West Kerry will be at the top of the agenda for Pádraig Ó Sé who has just taken up his new job as manager of Comharchumann Forbartha Chorca Dhuibhne.
Pádraig, who can see his home place of Árd na Caithne from his office window in the Comharchumann’s new centre in Ballyferriter, obviously values the language for its own sake but he is aware also that it is the foundation for a very valuable business in West Kerry.
Two Comharchumann sub companies Coláistí Chorca Dhuibhne and Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne – attract in the region of 2,500 students per year to Irish language courses that are a cornerstone of the local economy. Teachers and the many families who provide accommodation for students are the first to benefit, but the multiplier effect which takes into account how the student euro passes from one business to another puts the total value of the Irish courses at €8 million to €9 million a year to the local area.
These courses will only continue to thrive if the Irish language remains strong and vibrant in the community and Pádraig is therefore very conscious of the importance of continuing and advancing to Comharchumann’s work to sustain and preserve the richness of the language.
This is no easy task. Pádraig accepts that English is pervasive and that the richness of Irish that existed a generation ago is lost. He is aware also that even Irish speaking families realise that English will have to be the language of communication for their children who will almost certainly have to migrate to find work after they leave school or college.
However, he still sees a future for the Irish language as a central part of the life and culture of West Kerry. But he adds: “The community needs to be engaged in this – young people and locals need to be immersed in the language.”
He points to the Ionaid Tacaíocht Teaglaigh, which is located in the Comharchumann’s centre in Ballyferriter, as a simple but effective example of how this can be achieved. The centre, which has a nialainn, a nionra, and centre for adults and seanóiri, provides a space where children can do their homework after school. This brings children who are learning Irish into an environment where they mix with native speakers and thus their grasp of the language is strengthened. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne also weighs in on this aspect of the language campaign by having local singers and storytellers visit primary schools so that children can soak up some of the rich culture that surrounds them.
In his work to sustain the Irish language Pádraig is very happy to have the support of the former Comharchumann Manager Gearóid Ó Brosnacháin who retired earlier this year but is staying on with the Comharchumann until next June to ensure a smooth transition.
Pádraig feels he is lucky to have been handed “a very healthy baby” by Gearóid “who took over as manager in very tough economic times and developed the Comharchumann considerably as a business”.
Pádraig, who is a son of former Comharchumann Chairman Antain Ó Sé, joined Sisk Construction after graduating from UCG where he studied civil engineering. He worked with Sisk’s for 21 years, rising through the ranks to become the company’s Business Development Manager for Ireland, the UK and Europe before he took up the job as Manager of the Comharchumann.