The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
A language on the edge
GOOD PEOPLE WERE PICKED FOR MINISTRY ROLES, BUT THE STRUCTURE WON’T HELP SOLVE THE ISSUES IN KERRY’S GAELTACHT REGIONS. TADHG EVANS SPOKE TO VICTOR BAYDA AND JOHN PRENDERGAST
YOU STAY POSITIVE AND SAY, ‘OH, THINGS WILL CHANGE NEXT TIME’ – AND THEN IT DOESN’T.
AS a county with not one but two Gaeltacht regions – in both west and south Kerry – Kerry was keeping a keener eye than most on how the Gaeltachtaí would fare in the recent Ministerial appointments. The assessment since has been withering.
There’s a sense the right people have been selected: both Catherine Martin (Green Party) and Dara Calleary (Fianna Fáil) are fluent Irish speakers and are genuinely passionate about the language. But the structures in which they’ll function may not lend themselves to solving problems as complex as those facing the Gaeltachtaí.
That unwieldy structure began to take ‘shape’ two weeks ago when Martin TD was named as Minister for just about everything: Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport – and the Gaeltacht. Then Government Chief Whip and Fianna Fáil Deputy Leader Calleary TD was named as Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht and Sport – stoking fears that responsibility for the language and the Gaeltachtaí will be delegated.
“I wasn’t very surprised,” Oifigeach Pleanála Teanga (Language Planning Officer) for Uíbh Ráthach Victor Bayda told The Kerryman. “There’s no change of attitude amongst the establishment about Irish. They don’t understand its value to this country.
“It’s nothing new. You stay positive and say ‘Oh, maybe things will change next time’ – and then it doesn’t.
“The responsibility for all those matters was given to one person [Catherine Martin]…she’s a great person, she has wonderful Irish, and when this Dáil came together for the first time, she spoke Irish and spoke very well about it. But one person can’t be dealing with all those things at once.
“The Government has given the relevant stakeholders the deaf ear, and instead of a Senior Ministry, we got a Junior Ministry. Again, Dara Calleary is a great person and his heart is in the right place for Irish... They’ve put the right people in place, you could say – but they’ve not been given enough power to do something meaningful.”
John Prendergast has been an Oifigeach Pleanála Teanga in Corca Dhuibhne, West Kerry, for nearly a year and a half, with a view to implementing almost 60 actions to help the language flourish – particularly in its spoken form – across a wide range of fields, such as in schools; amongst family and the youth; and within clubs, for example.
He’s also a Coiste Gnó member of Conradh na Gaeilge, an organisation that campaigned for Gaeltacht responsibility to remain with a Senior Minister only.
“I was keeping a close eye on it,” he told The Kerryman. “I was very disappointed, and I’d be concerned that it will fall back on a Junior Minister. Catherine Martin is a very capable woman, and we’re looking forward to working with Dara Calleary – but I’d be worried it’s a drop in status for Irish.
“It would be taken more seriously [if given a Senior Ministry]... it would be hugely beneficial to have someone pushing Irish to the forefront at Government table and emphasising that this question is very important. Language matters wouldn’t be left at the bottom of the list or left unanswered.”
But why are the Gaeltachtaí – home to roughly 100,000 people and a mere two per cent of the Republic’s population – worthy of their own Senior Ministry? And why do so many people ask questions like that to begin with?
“It doesn’t just apply to the Government,” said Mr Bayda, a Moscovian who lectured on the language at Moscow State University before applying for the Uíbh Ráthach role.
“It’s the attitude in this country. It’s why people don’t learn or show interest in the language; they don’t understand why it’s needed. They think it’s an historic thing. They don’t understand why everyone in Ireland needs it. There’s not much effort at a higher level to change that attitude.
“We need a Senior Ministry because of the wide range of different matters involved. You have native speakers who, in their own country, have to work extra hard to live in Irish and raise their children with Irish. I’ve been living in Ireland for over a year, and I’m always trying to do everything in Irish, and the amount of frustration that goes with that, let me tell you… you’re raising your family in Irish, and you might think to yourself, ‘What am I letting them in for here? The same problems and frustrations I go through?’ It’s demotivating.
“These people have a human right to use their native language in their native country. They didn’t move over here. They’re Irish, Irish is their language, it’s the official language of the State. This is ridiculous.
“More generally, it’s the foundation of this country. Without it, what sets Ireland apart? For example, in terms of tourism, the English most frequently visit here, but research shows that they’ve little interest in returning after being here once because they don’t see enough of a difference. Without Irish, that individuality is gone.
“Economically, bilingual status has been shown to bring a lot of money into Galway city, for example. In Kerry, we don’t even have an Oifigeach Forbartha Gaelainn now. They don’t understand the economic value of the language to the county.”
Mr Bayda pointed out also that language planning is one matter – but what happens when other bodies are not pulling in the same direction, and what’s to stop that happening without meaningful Ministerial clout? He pointed towards Baile ‘n Sceilg, where a hotel with strong local backing was refused planning by An Bord Pleanála – the same board that granted planning for a large housing development and guest-house in the tiny Gaeltacht region of Ráth Cairn, County Meath, again against that community’s wishes.
“We need co-operation at every level between state, council, and every public organisation,” Mr Prendergast agreed. “If we’re serious about Irish and the Gaeltachtaí, now is the time to act. It will be too late to leave it to one side for another generation. It’s important that people understand that.
“We have a moral obligation as a country to not only protect our Gaeltachtaí but push them forward because it’s so valuable to the whole country. It gives so much to this country and always has. If the Gaeltachtaí die away, it’ll leave a vacuum that’ll never again be filled.”