Mná tí seeking cothrom na féinne as stability fund is shared out

WEST Kerry ‘mná tí’ have cautiously welcomed the government’s support fund for Irish language summer colleges, but they will still be severely out of pocket.

Mna tí are the bedrock of the Gaeltacht experience, providing a home from home for the thousands of young people who come to West Kerry to study Irish. The work is hard with long hours over the summer months, preparing meals, keeping house and playing the role of surrogate parents.

The ‘egg money’ earned by the ‘ mna tí’ from courses organised by Comharchumann Forbartha Chorca Dhuibhne helps cover their household costs throughout the year, but it means they can’t take up full time jobs.

In previous years year courses were held in January, at Easter, during the summer months and in September according to Angela Pháid Uí Ghrifín a member of Coiste na Mná Tí. “For bean a tí, this is their job for the year. We had the beds made and the rooms ready to go then the courses were cancelled” she said.

Even with the help of the government’s stability fund, ‘ mna tí’ are experiencing an 80 per cent drop in income for the year according to Angela.

“We are relieved that there is some payment, but it is not going to cover the year,” she said. “Many of the mná tí, will have to look elsewhere to supplement their income and possibly will not be available to provide accommodation next year”.

The stabilisation fund payment is based on, and limited to, the number of students each house kept between April and August in 2019, which means anyone who took a break for personal reasons that year will have their payment further reduced even though they had committed to providing accommodation in 2020 and carried the expense of making all the necessary preparations.