Linguistic chaos...

"Séasúr na seafóide sna meáin!" (The silly season in the media!)

An extraordinarily ignorant piece of "journalism" appeared in yesterday's Dublin Evening Herald. I would have missed it but for a tweet sent by one of those mentioned. This was a realtively anodyne and perhaps weary response: "It seems Aoibhinn and I are causing "linguistic chaos" with our names dár leis an Herald. Oh dear! ;-)"

However it did spawn a number of one-line responses such as "Náireach," (Shameful), "dochreidible," "aineolach" (ignorant), "Maslach" (Insulting) and a Conamara man tweeted that inimitable word beloved of the late Hugh Leonard, "Gobshite." One tweeter even searched for an obscure word in their copy of the venerable Rev. Patrick S. Dinneen and found "galldúda, m. = a very ignorant person!" Another stated "Níl aon leithscéal don aineolas a bhí ar an té a scríobh an méid sin." (There is no excuse for the ignorance of the person who wrote this.)

It is written under the byline of a guy called Michael O'Doherty (mod@herald.ie). He claimed that the fact that the "Aoibhinn Ni (sic) Shuileabhain (sic)" interview caused "linguistic chaos" not only in pronouncing her own name but also by interviewing the "little known native traditional Irish singer," Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. (her website!)

Were it not for the fact that it highlights the malaise of much of the English language journalism it would be laughable. (Professional print journalism in Irish has all but been extinguished by Government Agencies recently, nevertheless there are some fine journalists acting independently as on the website An Tuairisceoir who have reproduced the Herald article with the statement: An fáth a bhfuil meáin Ghaeilge de dhíth orainn!  - why we need Irish media -)

This Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is the same singer that Siobhán Long of the Irish Times has described as "One of the earthiest and most distinctive voices, not just in traditional circles, but anywhere..." She has broadcast not only here in Ireland but also in Britain. Just because she is little known to Michael O'Doherty does not necessarily mean she is little known.

As I had never heard of Michael O'Doherty I did my own little test for "known-ness" and ran a google search for Michael O'Doherty Herald and got just over 44thousand returns. I then ran a search for Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and got nearly 58 thousand.

Non-native?

Native

Finally I would like to know the purpose of the word "native" in his description. Would he not regard himself as "native?" Is the fact that he was born in Killiney exclude him from being "native?" Or could it be that it is a gratuitous insult to our - if not his - own native language?

Open letter to Senators!

Open letter to members of Seanad Éireann on the occasion of debate on Irish and the Gaeltacht!

Dear Senator

I understand that the Seanad is to have a discussion on Irish and the Gaeltacht this afternoon.

I would like to make some points in English and would ask you to forgive any gramatical or other  errors in this paper.

As someone who lives in the Gaeltacht I believe that the language adn the very fabric of society here are being catastrophically threatened by the policys of the current administration.

The demotion of the Department of the Gaeltacht into an Art and Heritage sub set from a more sensible position as a component of Community Development. The Gaeltacht is a community not a museum, art gallery or heritage site. It's spokesman is now a Junior Minister who however well-intentioned has NO input into cabinet decisions concerning his people.

The Language Acht, by no means a perfect piece of legislation, is being steadily watered down and dissassembled. The first straw in the wind was the abolition of the right to have legislation introduced simultaneously into law. The second was the inexplicable decisiion to merge the office of the Language Commissioner into the Ombudsman's Office, a move which even the Junior Minister McGinley admits will cost the State money. In addition the fact that the Ombudsman's office is non-compliant with the law in matters under the responsibility of the Language Commissioner doues not auger well for the new arrangement. The Ombudsman's Office finding itself in breach of the law would be laughable.

Laws in other areas also add to the dangers. May I list those I know of:

1. Proposed legislation to tax on septic tanks only apply to rural areas - where the majority of Gaeltacht Areas are. (I have no problem with the proposed Household Tax in principle rather do I have a problem with the method of its introduction and how it is calculated!)

2. The uncertainty and probable abolition of the representative nature of Údarás na Gaeltachta will lessen if not totally erode the relevence of this body. It does need reform but giving the responsibility to local County Councils to appoint the board is false democracy.

3. Perhaps the most frightening threat from this Government is the decision on rural schools. This effects the Gaeltacht Areas severly. Under this legislation it looks like over eighty schools will close. Places like the Kerry Gaeltacht will leave one rural school as 13 out of 14 fail to reach the new target. In my own area over half the small schools will be closed/merged. Two will close in Múscraí, 28 in Donegal and 2 of the three in the Waterford Gaeltacht will close. In recent discussions between the Parents and public representatives it was apparant that those making the decision in the Department of Education had no idea of the effect or even of the geographic locations of the schools they are closing.

4. Another point about the Department of Education is the fact that only 1% of the staff of that Department are able to provide a service to these Gaeltacht (or any Gaelscoil) Schools.

5. Services like speech-therepy and other health services are by-and-large not available to children and grown-ups in their home language.

6. So-called "environmental issues" like no planning for single rural homes, turf-cutting, special areas of conservation etc are also restrictions which impact in various ways on various Gaeltacht areas.

7. The debacle of the introduction of the houshold tax is merely a reflection of the thoughtlessness in administration. As of this morning the form to register for this tax is unavailable either on-line or in local authority offices.

Finally there is no good example being provided by political, ecclesiastical or other leaders. For instance when was a contribution to discussions on any subject except the language itself ever held in the Dáil or Seanad, not to mention Local Authority. Indeed the only elected State Body which holds its meetings in Irish, Údarás na Gaeltachta, is apparantly sheduled for castration.

The Oireachtas, the Parliament of Ireland has NEVER to my knowledge issued a press release in Irish yet there are at least six media outlets for such releases. If they wish to transmit any news of the Oireachtas, debates or committee they must translate these from their own resources!

The requirements of Gaeltacht Areas are by an large those of many other Rurl Areas excepot they require them in Irish. There are little or no cost implications in this as it only requires personnal who are competant in the language who can speak and write it. In fact if any of the above

I've tried to compress thoughts here and there may be other points which could be made but I think there is enough to go on in the above.

Thank you for your attention and I hope you are successful in catching the Chair's eye in this debate!

Eoin Ó Riain
Irish Citizen
Caorán na gCearc,
Baile na hAbhann
Conamara
Co na Gaillimhe

• A letter from Guth na Gaeltachta with these points and also some others is available on Gaeltacht21: Guth na Gaeltachta chuig an Seanad (Irish 18/2/2012)

The fado & Protestant culture

There's an interesting article in today's (17 Aug 2010) Irish Times by Torlach Mac Con Midhe, Idir an Fado agus an cultúr Protastúnach (Irish) {Trans: Between the Fado and the Protestant culture}

An article by Alan Titley in the same paper started him thinking back to his youth when he travelled to Canada to study. Strangly enough his memory is not so much meeting and interacting with North Americans but with meeting those from South America, refugees from the fall of Allende in Chile, or from the "dirty war" in Argentina as well as Mexican, Venuzuelans, Columbians and Peruvians.

He found that these people enriched his experience far more than the dour North Americans. They were full of fun and energy. They were singing, dancing, eating, drinking, laughing (though the story at home was often tragic) and they played football. He found he could mix with them and that they respected him. He was able to sing "Ar an loing seo Phaidí Loingsigh" and recite "Tháinig long ó Valparaiso!" with out self consciousness. He could participate. He was welcomed.

One of the Argentinian girls, Rita, said to him, "You know, we have no friends among the Canadians! The only English-speaking friends we have are the Irish!" He notes that he had the same problem himself. There was no life or vigour to be found except in these exuberent Latins.

He reflects that in the recent past Irish emigrants have departed for the most part to the English speaking dominions and former colonies. However prior to that they went to the countries of Southern Europe. Though we are an Atlantic people rather than a Mediterranean, although we share that with the Portuguese, we have a "Catholic" tradition in common.

He muses that the empires sent colonists to their territories, and they either decimated the original populace leaving the descendants of the colonists in power. However in Ireland something else happened. The empire made colonists of the native people. They were gifted with the language and culture of the British. They were colonists in their own land. But at the same time it is impossible to deny that there are still "native traits" to be found in these colonists. For this reason they are a split, divided people in themselves.

He quotes Faust “Zwei Seelen wohnen, ach! in meiner Brust,” (Alas, Two souls reside in my breast!). We have the soul of the colonist and that of the Gael in our breast and they do not sit well with each other.

He concludes with a stark question. "I believe that this is sometimes realised by the Irish language community (lucht na Gaeilge) but I wonder is it appreciated by the English speakers!"
By the way the Fado, in the article title, is a type of music from Portugal, learned, understood and appreciated by the author, not a million miles away from our own Sean-Nós styles. (see pic)

Culture centres open to community

Conradh na Gaeilge is making the organisation's two main buildings in Dublin and Galway available to the Irish-speaking community to use as centres for meetings, conferences, classes and more in an effort to develop the buildings belonging to the Conradh as cultural centres of Irish in the heart of the two cities.

There are already Irish-language courses, conversation circles, conferences, meetings, and social nights with music and dancing organised regularly in both Conradh na Gaeilge buildings in Dublin and Galway, and any other Irish-language organisation or individual persons can rent rooms from the Conradh on a daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly basis to operate from either of the two buildings during the year.

Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa, President of Conradh na Gaeilge says "Conradh na Gaeilge is the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community and the organisation is committed to working with other Irish-language organisations to promote the language throughout the island. Community support and cooperation is key to our work, and Conradh na Gaeilge is delighted to have this opportunity to invite other organisations and individuals who are working to promote the Irish language also, to utilise the facilities we have in Dublin and Galway to strength the Irish-speaking community in both those cities, and indeed throughout the country."

In addition to the national head-office of Conradh na Gaeilge, many important organisations in the Irish-language sector are already operating from the building on Harcourt Street, including Oireachtas na Gaeilge; Ógras; Seachtain na Gaeilge; Glór na nGael, Leinster; Rith 2010; the Irish-language chart-station, Raidió Rí-Rá; the Irish-language FLAC Centre of the Four Courts' Branch, An tIonad Saor-Chomhairle Dlí; the Irish-language bookshop, An Siopa Leabhar; and the Irish-language club, Club Chonradh na Gaeilge.

Conradh na Gaeilge's Galway development project, Togra Ghael-Fhorbairt na Gaillimhe, operates from Aras na nGael at 45 Dominic Street (Pictured on right in Galway as well as Club Áras na nGael and Ógras, Connaught.

Conradh na Gaeilge's historical headquarters at Number 6 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2 were recently renovated and repaired thanks to the generous donations of the branches of the Conradh and the aid of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs through the Irish-Language Fund, Ciste na Gaeilge, which is part-funded by the National Lottery, and the building is now being further developed as a place of work, a meeting facility and a cultural centre for the Irish-speaking community in the capital.

Áras na nGael is functioning as an Irish-language centre in Galway at present and Conradh na Gaeilge is also looking to find a new location on which to develop a bigger centre, so as to provide more facilities to the language community in the city in the future.

The original Irish version of this release with links!