Why more public services as Gaeilge can help Irish be an everyday language again

You walk into your local public office, hopeful and determined to conduct your business as Gaeilge. But instead of being greeted with a warm “Dia dhuit”, you’re met with an apologetic shrug. This is meant to be our official language and yet here we are, being met with blank stares when we try to speak it.

An Coimisinéir Teanga, Séamas Ó Concheanainn, has shone a spotlight on a troubling trend: year after year, his office receives a steady stream of complaints about the gaping holes in public services for the Irish language community. Last year alone, complaints surged by 6pc.

The complaints show there aren’t enough public service staff proficient in Irish to provide even the most basic assistance. Whether it’s answering phone calls or assisting people at counters, services aren’t always available to the public through Irish.

Moreover, there’s a glaring gap between the robust provision of online services in English compared to the sparse offerings in Irish. Formal investigations into entities like Galway County Council and An Post showed the significant disparities in online services available in Irish and English.

When Irish speakers can’t access fundamental services in their own language, it’s more than just a glitch – it’s a serious breakdown. Mr Ó Concheanainn emphasises the urgent need to kickstart the national plan for Irish-speaking services. A clear roadmap is essential to bolster both the quantity and quality of these services.

“The national plan for the provision of public services through the medium of the Irish language, which will be published later this year, is of particular importance,” he said.

“The plan must provide a clear and specific pathway towards enhancing the quantity and quality of Irish-medium public services. A realistic, progressive and phased approach to attaining the target of 20pc of recruits with Irish to the public service by 2030 is crucial to tackling the significant gaps in public services through Irish.”

This isn’t just about safeguarding a language. It’s about asserting basic rights – the right of Irish speakers to access public services in their native tongue, be it healthcare, education or government services. And under the Official Languages Act, the State is obligated to ensure that everyone has access to such services in both Irish and English.

The Act aimed to revolutionise and expand Irish language public services, opening up job prospects for those fluent in the language and to give Irish speakers the confidence to embrace their language in every facet of their lives, especially when interacting with the State. Around one in five recruits to the public sector should be competent in Irish by the end of 2030.

The Act isn’t a mere guideline. It’s about fundamental rights – the right of every citizen to engage with their government in their preferred language. Yet, here we are, relegating Irish as if it were inconsequential.

Imagine if, a century ago, Irish had been the bedrock of education and state administration. Maybe the language would be in a stronger position today. It’s time we started taking Irish seriously as a language of everyday life. And that starts with investing in mandatory basic language training for government employees. We need enough staff who actually know the language to make the Irish-speaking community feel like they can trust the services they’re getting.

This isn’t just about preserving some dusty old tongue for the sake of tradition. It’s about holding onto a piece of our identity. And where better to start than in our schools? Imagine the ripple effect of a generation raised with a genuine appreciation for Irish. They grow up and, suddenly, Irish isn’t just some quaint relic – it’s a living, breathing part of everyday life.

Look at Catalonia. Despite efforts to eradicate it, Catalan has persisted. Since the 1980s, Catalan has been the medium of instruction in state schools, resulting in near-universal fluency. And thanks to the omnipresence of Spanish in everyday life and the media, Catalans are effortlessly bilingual. By adopting elements of Catalonia’s approach to language education, Ireland could become a truly bilingual society where the Irish language thrives alongside English.

Unesco’s Atlas of World Languages described the Irish language as “definitely endangered” three years ago, but, according to the latest census data, the number of Irish speakers has actually seen a modest uptick.

There’s been a 6pc increase in people claiming to speak Irish between 2016 and 2022. That’s almost 1.9 million of us, or 40pc of the population aged three and over who bothered to fill out the Irish language question. Of those nearly 1.9 million Irish speakers, a respectable 10pc reckon they’re good at it, with another 32pc claiming to speak it well.

The right to access public services in Irish isn’t up for negotiation. It’s not a favour we should have to plead for or settle for scraps of. This isn’t just about Irish speakers or language enthusiasts either. It’s about every single one of us, regardless of our proficiency in Irish, regardless of whether we speak Irish or not.

Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam, as they say. And if the State won’t live up to its obligations, then it’s up to us to demand that it does.