The Government's decision - derogation or degradation?

"In all honesty there is not much to laud in the heads of the new Act as published!" (Coimisinéir Teanga)

The International Language Rights Conference, organised by Conradh na Gaeilge, was recently held in Dublin. The large audience was told that the amendments that are planned for the Official Languages Act 2003 now imminent and also the opportunity this year to end the derogation of the use Irish Language as a working language of the European Union. This was little reported in the English language media although well covered in the Irish language media notably by Tuairisc.ie. Tweets on the event (mostly but not exclusively in Irish) may be found using the hashtag #CeartaAnois. The meeting was served with a full interpretation service - Irish English and vice versa.

Part of the attendance

Among those speaking were the Ombudsman of Catalonia, Rafael Ribó i Massó, who spoke of the language rights in his own country and also in the other linguistic territories of Spain,  Rónán Ó Domhnail, the Coimiséir Teanga here in Ireland, Dr Pádraigh Ó Laighin, the expert on European Language Rights and politicians MEP Liadh Ní Riada, TDs Éamon Ó Cuív, Seán Kyne and Lucinda Creighton and Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh. Also on the panel of speakers were former Presidents of Conradh na Gaeilge, Cóilín Ó Cearbhaill and former presidents Barrister Daithí Mac Carthaigh and Íte Ní Cionnath, former lecture in communications in DIT.

Sessions were chaired efficiently by Eimear Ní Chonaola, Principal News Presenter with TG4 and Máirín Ní Ghadhra the presenter of the Midday News (Nuacht ar a hAon) on Raidío na Gaeltachta (Irish).

In opening the conference Cóilín Ó Cearbhaill pointed out that there were three opportunities for the Governments of Ireland, North and South, to support the Irish people during the current year (2015). He enumereated these as follows:

1. Strengthen the Official Languages Act and provide state services to the public at the same standard in Irish as in English. (Oireachtas Éireann)
2. Enact and activate a strong Language Act  (Stormont Assembly). (a meeting in Belfast to discuss this is scheduled for 25th February in  Culturlann McAdam Ó Fiaich)
3. End the derogation of the status of Irish as an official working language throughout the European Union. (Irish Government)

"I hope that the Governments will take our suggestions on board!" he concluded

Speakers LtoR: Rafael Ribó i Massó, Rónán Ó Domhnail, Máirín Ní Ghadhra (Chair), Éamon Ó Cuív TD, Seanadóir Trevor Ó Clochartaigh agus Seán Kyne TD.

Strengthening the Official Languages Act.
In his contribution early in the conference Coimisinéir Teanga Rónán Ó Domhnaill said, "If there are to be amendments to theis Act they ought to give us an appropriate workable Act which compliments the Language rights of the citizen.
"In all honesty there is not much to laud in the heads of the new Act as published. I welcome of course those aspects which add to the rights of the citizen, the right to use the Irish form of a name and address, and a mechanism ensuring new public companies are automatically covered under the Act.
"However apart from these and a small technical changes there is nothing in the heads which strengthen Language rights.!

The Catalonian Ombudsman, Rafael Ribó in his presentation said "No policeman, or no other public authority has no right to request, 'In English please!' We, all of us, have the right of choice. That is a basic human right!" He also warned against making the language a political football.

As might be expected the three politicians said what politicians usually say. The two Opposition representatives broadly supported the words of the Coimisnéir Teanga and the sole representative of the Government while accepting that there was some merit in some of the changes advocated by the Conradh broadly supported the Government published heads, including the extension of the widely condemned Language Schemes from a period of three years to seven, "Three years is too short but maybe seven years is too long!" All agreed that the number of civil servants who can interact with the citizens is inadequate and sometimes non-existent.

Íta Ní Cionnath, who was a former President of Conradh na Gaeilge and former Senior Lecturer in Communications at DIT, made a presentation where she made a strong plea for the abolition of these schemes which she maintained were a complete failure. The should be replaced by legally enforceable responsibilities. In effect "We are second class citizens at present!" she declared. She made a case for a strengthening the Act by looking at the equivalent and stronger legislation in Wales, which is in part based on what was learned from the system, its flaws and benefits, in Ireland.

In the discussions concluding this session was the absolute requirement (as mentioned in the 20 Year Strategy agreed by all parties in the Oireachtas, Dáil and Seanad) for a Senior Minister with responibility for Irish and Gaeltacht Affairs. This has not been implemented by the current Government.

Another topic raised was the absence of services for children with special needs, the responsibility of the VHI. Accounts were related of cases where medicak staff recommended that Irish speaking families (including those in the Gaeltacht) switch the family language to English to facilitate the Medical Services. Some heartbreaking cases were given.

The excuse, "The person with Irish isn't here at the moment please give your details and we'll call back!" was condemned roundly.

End to the derogation in the European Union & other opportunities for the Irish language in Europe

"I know that a decision in principle has been
made by the Government that the derogation
will not be ended by 31st December 2016 &
 that the derogation will be renewed from
the 1st January 2017." (Dr. P Ó Laighin)

Perhaps the most startling piece of information shared with those attending this service was the bald statement made by the respected expert on European Language rights, Sociology Professor Dr Pádraig B. Ó Laighin, that the Government has decided in principle to renew the derogation of Irish as a working language of the European Union. "I know that a decision in principle has been made by the Government that the derogation will not be ended by 31st December 2016 and that the derogation will be renewed from the 1st January 2017." (Writing this there has been no denial of this from Government sources - 19/2/2015!).

Under this derogation there is no requirement on the Union to provide the services provided in the other official languages.

He gave a blow by blow account of his vain efforts to secure a meeting with the Taoiseach since December 2013. Eventually he was palmed off (our words - he is far too gentlemanly a person to use such terms!) with a meeting with the Junior Minister Joe McHugh on the 11th February 2015. But the day before the meeting he was told that they would not be able to give him much detail on progress. In fact his detailed and informed questions remain unanswered.

This writer was quite shocked at the discourtesy shown a citizen as eminent as Dr Ó Laighin by the Taoiseach's office and the Government. This is especially marked when contrasted with the courteousness he was shown when the Government was in opposition.

He then asked if a decision has been made: "The Government has made no decision yet," was the response

He finally asked if a decision had been made "in principle" and received the response, "The Government has made no decision yet."

The Government has adopted a "closed secret stance on derogation in the European Union" he said. There is little reason in fact for this derogation now as he says that sufficent numbers of trained translators and interpreters are available and more being trained, if the positions were open for them.

He also said that the availabilty of terminology used in EU documents is not a problem either, indeed Irish is at the top of the list of the thirteen languages named as Official Languages from 2004 to 2013.

He pointed out that the decision IS that the Irish Govenment alone. The European Union is more than willing as a body to facilitate the language as a true working language as soon as they are advised of the Irish Government's final decision.

Lucinda Creighton addresses the assembly also at table are (ltoR), Eimear Ní Chonaola, TG4, Dr Pádraigh Ó Laighin, Liadh Ní Riada, FPE & Daithí Mac Carthaigh

Derogation in action:
A vivid account of how this works in reality was given by the Member of the European Parliament, Liadh Ní Riada FPE (Irish). She is a native of the Gaeltacht whose mother tongue is Irish, one of the official languages of the Union. "As a woman from the Gaeltacht it is a source of deep regret that I am unable to use my own language as I perform my duties.
"It disgusts me when I sit in the parliament when we are advised that translation services are available in every languge - and of course Irish is not among them."
She also announced that she is going on a "Speak only Irish" strike during the first two weeks of March and issued an invite to all public representatives to do the same. "Accompany me on my language strike!" she said. "Let us speak our own language!"

A contribution by Lucinda Creighton TD, former Minister of State for Europe gave her insights. She confirmed that she is taking refresher course in her Irish with Gaelcultur. She was misquoted in a tweet sent by an attendee during her contribution. "I am very sympathetic to the idea of ending the degradation" says @LCreighton." 

In the words worthy of The Brother "I couldn't have put it better meself!

What will our prospective MEPs do to further our national identity! #Gaeilge

Ceisteanna & Cúlra i nGaeilge.

Some sample questions on the the Irish language to be put to candidates for the European Parliament have been suggested by Conradh na Gaeilge. They also include some points that these candidates should be aware of as the go seeking support next month!

www.toghchain2014.eu

In passing, it is of interest that the EU Parliament has an extensive site, which also gives recognition to all official languages.

The parliament is also very active on twitter, frequently tweeting in Irish @Europarl_GA.

Question 1
(a) If you are elected as a Member of the European Parliament, are you willing to speak Irish regularly and as common practice in Parliament? or

(b) If you are not comfortable with your own standard of Irish, will you improve upon your level of Irish by taking classes or a self-taught online course so as to ensure that you will have sufficient Irish to appropriately represent, the Irish speaking community especially, in the European Parliament?

Question 2

Are you willing to announce in public as part of your electoral campaign that you wish to have the derogation concerning the status of the Irish language in the European Union ended at the end of the year 2016? In order for that to happen, the Irish Government would need to inform the Council of the European Union, without delay, that it intends to propose the ending of the derogation at a formal meeting to be held in 2015.

Background:

• Irish became an official language of the European Union on 1 January 2007.
• A derogation was implemented regarding that status, initially for a period of 5 years until the end of 2011, and again until the end of 2016, so that not all of the legal documents which must be translated to the other official languages have to be made available in Irish. A shortage of Irish language experts was given as the reason. That shortage no longer exists.
• In addition representatives from Ireland don’t have the same opportunity to use Irish in the European Union due to a lack of interpreters.
• It is up to the Irish Government to officially submit a request to the European Union not to renew the derogation, and they need to take that decision soon if a recruitment campaign is to be properly administered between now and 2017
• People are being employed by the EU at present (e.g. 10 posts for Irish-language lawyer linguists are to be filled in 2014). There will, however, be more than 180 additional jobs by 01/01/17 if the derogation is ended.



Election Notice in Maltese!

• Maltese was adopted as an official language in 2004, and they were successful in removing the derogation relating to the language within 3 years. This was achieved by giving temporary contracts to many Maltese experts to facilitate them learning a third language while working in EU institutions. The third language is necessary to obtain a permanent job as a language expert. What additional benefits would arise for Ireland with the ending of the derogation on the status of Irish in the EU?
• Irish would be on a par with each of the other 24 official languages in the European Union, including Maltese, Estonian and Latvian.
• 183 high value jobs would be made available between now and 2017 (103 translators, 32 lawyer linguists, 42 secretaries and 6 unit heads) at no cost to the Government of Ireland.
• There would be a long-term benefit on the influence of Ireland in the European Union, as a certain proportion of these people would go on to jobs with responsibility for policy areas in the European Union.
• It would improve the status of Irish and the image of the language in the community in Ireland, especially amongst young people of school age and at third level.

The linguistic challenge of the European project

I thought this an interesting remark from an English educated academic on the current controversy initiated by Enda Kenny of Fine Gael.

“We could make it optional for Leaving Certificate; and after a few years we might come to think that it should be optional for Junior Certificate too; and after that – well, what’s the point of bothering with compulsory Irish at primary level, if it’s going to be taken only by a tiny minority at second level?

If we follow this path, we may well find that by the end of this decade Ireland has sold its linguistic birthright and staked its entire future cultural, political, economic on the continuing international dominance of English. 

On the other hand, we can respond by taking seriously the linguistic challenge of the European project; recognizing that Irish belongs not just to Ireland’s but to Europe’s linguistic heritage; taking note of the empirical fact that the more languages you learn, the easier it becomes; insisting that Ireland’s membership of Europe requires us to make foreign language learning a compulsory part of schooling; and seeking ways of achieving more effective learning outcomes.”

Professor David Little, Head, School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, TCD

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)

Valuable and free resources

There are a number of projects been undertaken which for one reason or another are virtually unknown to many of us.

Most of us have heard of the fascinating work been carried out by An Cartlann Náisiúnta (national Archive) which now list on-line and at no charge access to the census details, including pdfs of actual returns. This trojan work was carried out almost without our knowledge until it was actually put online in the last two years. Without doubt this is a fascinating insight into our past and no doubt they will continue this important work to include the following census details for 1926. This important resource is at Census of Ireland 1901/1911, and the site is in English only.

Something which is even more undercover is the work been carried out by Fiontar, part of Dublin City University, as part of their research programme.

The first of these is called focal.ie. This is the National Terminology Database for Irish, developed in collaboration with Foras na Gaeilge's Coiste Téarmaíochta, (Terminology Committee). They are also associated with IATE (InterActive Terminology for Europe), which broadens the compass of the project into a further twenty three languages. The interactive site allows you to put in an Irish or English term and provide you with that term in English or Irish (or if you use the IATE site into any of the other 23 languages.)

Another of the projects undertaken by Fiontar is the placenames resource, logainm.ie. This site, in cooperatiion with the Placenames Branch of the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs provides placename details in Irish or in English, location, and in many cases an image of the historical card index on the place in question.

Another project also being undertaken by the indefatigueable Forbairt, is the enourmous task of the Irish Language biography, ainm.ie. This mammoth task is to digitise the 1,674 biographies colected by Diarmuid Breathnach and Máire Ní Mhurchú and make them available on-line. This is being done in collaboration with Cló Iar-Chonnachta, and intially with financial assistance from the Government.

Fiontar have also been engaged to help in the Governments language planning strategy, the 20year Strategy, a draft of which was published in 2009.

Unless otherwise indicated all links are to English Language sites
.

Lawer linguist training.

Preparatory course for Irish speakers wishing to apply for lawyer-linguist positions in the European Institutions

As a result of the Irish language achieving the status of an official and working language of the European Union, the European Institutions will be recruiting lawyer-linguists in the years ahead who have an excellent level of competency in Irish. Gaelchultúr Teoranta, in conjunction with King’s Inns, is running a preparatory course from 7 June which aims to teach the language skills required by those wishing to apply for the positions that will become available in Brussels over the next few years.

This full-time course, which is being funded by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, will continue until early October 2010 and classes will be held in King’s Inns, Henrietta Street, Dublin 1.

The course is aimed at those who have a law degree or a professional legal qualification (BL or Solr), as well as a good standard of written Irish. All applicants will be required to undergo a language assessment test and the results of this assessment will be taken into consideration when places are being allocated on the course. Successful candidates will not be required to pay a course fee.

Applications for this year’s course must be received by King’s Inns by 4.00 p.m. on Friday, 7 May 2010.

The course brochure and application form are available on the King’s Inns website.

This message in the original Irish may be found here!