Any chance of spontaneous Umgangssprache?

I always enjoy, while not always agreeing with, the Irish Times's columnist Miriam Lord. Her Saturday contribution as usual unearthed a few snippits of information.

Entitled, Tourists ask Higgins to show them the way, (22nd September 2018) it describes how after an event in Dublin city centre the President was asked for directions as he left. Humourous as that event was I was more interested in the account of another event she covered.

Goethe & Schiller in Weimer (D)

This was the official opening of the Goethe Institut in Dublin's Merrion Square. As someone who has benefited in the past at this establishment I usually note the events that it organises in fostering and promoting German culture in Ireland.

Our Minister of Arts Culture and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, officially opened the new HQ and, according to Miriam, delighted he audience by delivering “three quarters of her speech in German.” We are told that she declared herself a little wary of descending into “spontaneous Umgangssprache.” It was also apparently her first time “speaking in German as a minister.” In her past life she shared that she actually dreamed in German when she lived in Vienna. Her speech earned  her a standing ovation.

I find it richly ironic, if not tragic, that as Minister charged with supporting, developing and encouraging our National Language she is happy to vaunt he knowledge of the language of Goethe and Schiller yet is unable (unwilling) to express herself at public events in the language of Ó Cadhain, MacAingil, Céitinn, and Colmcille.

Aodh Mac Aingil in Rome

This is the person whom, as she assumed the position as Minister she said “I think your proficiency and fluency in a language doesn’t mean that you don’t love the language. Obviously I would have been quite proficient some 30 years ago so yes, I probably will try and endeavour to make it a little bit stronger,” (Irish Times 4/12/2017). In effect this means that she has a significant disadvantage as an effective minister because it makes it more challenging for her to understand the real concerns of the Irish-speaking and Gaeltacht communities. It means that she is cut off from a real connection with the historic Irish nation which perhaps makes a mockery of her position as promoter of a culture which for almost 2000 years was expressed in the Irish language and only 250 years of which is expressed in the English language which itself is about 1000 years old.

The people of the Gaeltacht and Irish speakers would be particularly impressed, I feel, if she descended into Umgangssprache spontaneously or otherwise while speaking at cultural events. She might even get another standing ovation.

Perhaps she would benefit by asking Michael D for directions!

• See also A Pronounced low level of respect. (4/12/2017)

A pronounced low level of respect!

‘I have a great love of the language… but I’m not promising that I’m going to study Irish,’ is the headline this morning in the Irish news service Tuairisc.ie (Irish). It is quoting remarks the new Minister for the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, made in a programme on RTÉ Television - view the segment here.

Beirt gan Gaeilge!

According to a number of tweets that followed,  she displayed a marked depreciation of the National Language and culture. And another stated that she would be unable to communicate with the community she is supposed to be serving.

Indeed is is hardly an exaggeration to say that she embodies, as have all Ministers of the Gaeltachta since 2011, the State message noted by Seán Ó Cuirreáin so many times - "Speak Irish among yourselves but speak English to us!"

The fact that she seems to pawn off this part of her responsibility to a Junior Minister tells its own story - "...you know Joe McHugh has dedicated statutory responsibility for the Gaeltacht...."

A Green Party candidate for the Dublin Mid West Constituency, Peter Kavenagh, remarked, "It would appear that Fine Gael think Irish is quite nice, but that they do not have to take it seriously and show any commitment or leadership at the cabinet table!"

But perhaps the most fluent of the comments on twitter was from the twitter account of author Felicity Hays-McCoy.

"Not being proficient in a language doesn't imply you don't love it. Being unwilling to improve your proficiency in Irish when you're the minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht suggests your definition of "loving" a language doesn't imply a high level of respect for it."

In last Saturday's Irish Times the incomparable Miriam Lord spoke about the new minister's insistence on the correct pronunciation of her name.

One wishes she showed even half this enthusiasm for the language and culture of the Region she has the honour to be responsible for, even if she tries to disown that responsibility.

Left wing or left out? Fine Gael wants to repossess Irish?

A recent article by Miriam Lord in the Irish Times mentioned the fact that a new Fine Gael TD, Gabrielle McFadden, was organising an Irish conversation group in Leinster House. "Sinn Féin has kinda taken the language over in the Dáil. I want to take it back off them, because it belongs to all of us."

Taking it back?

More recently the journalist, Ciarán Dunbar, asked the question "Is Irish now a language of the left wing!" (Article in Irish in Meoin Eile 23/2/2015). Perhaps it is hardly a surprising question since most of the speaking of Irish in the Oireachtas is instigated by Sinn Féin. The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny has, as far as I can see, never spoken on any subject other than the language itself unless in response to a question from some measure of Sinn Féin.

Perhaps it's is not so much that SF have taken the language in the Dáil (or anywhere else in our political life) but rather the other parties have abandoned it. One is reminded of the words of Seán Ó Cuirreáin to an Oireachtas Committee last year before he resigned. "I believe that the language is continuously being edged aside, pushed towards the margins of society and that includes much of the public sector."

Indeed I feel that Sinn Féin use Irish, not so much out of love of our National Language as a political expedient. (See for instance look of the "Irish Version of their website" or in their press releases almost all of which are in English.) With one or two notable exceptions - Trevor Ó Clochartaigh and Peadar Tóibín TD for instance - the use of Irish is fairly peremptory. If there is something important to say say on finance or the ubiquitous water controversy or farming or jobs, it is always the Queens English that this and every other party uses. I'm told that translation services are not always available. Why should they be when nobody speaks it except to flaunt a pseudo nationalism?

When was anybody expelled for unparliamentary language in Irish? Would the Ceann Comhairle know if somebody called a minister a liar in Irish?

Seriously though, the Minister for the Gaeltacht and all that other stuff, Heather Humphreys, has called on us to make 2016 a "Year for Irish!" My question is what is she and her party going to DO about it? They have produced heads of bill for the new Official Language Acts of which the current Coimisinéir Teanga, Rónán Ó Dómhnall, has declared that outside of one or two small details (the right of citizens to use their Irish form of their name and address) and some minor technical details, "there is nothing in these heads to strengthen language rights,"(our translation).

Does not the phrase appropriated by the Irish Times in it's editorial 9th December 2013, after the announcement of the decision of the resignation of the first Coimisinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, seems moot. Speaking of the many, indeed countless promises of this and previous governments they thought that there was a case to be made in describing them as “a fudge, a farce or a falsehood”

Adams modestly hits the nail on the head!

A correction to Miriam Lord, a backhanded compliment for Enda Kenny and a short exposition of his philosophy on speaking Irish.

The following appeared in Miriam Lord's inestimable column in the Irish Times (Dáil Sketch 10/10/2012):

"..Gerry doesn’t like people criticising him for trying to improve his Irish on the floor of the Dáil. He particularly doesn’t like sketch writers drawing attention to his efforts to speak the first language during Leaders’ Questions. In fact he went out of his way to point this out in no uncertain terms to this particular writer during a recent encounter in the corridors. We should be “encouraging” him, was Gerry’s view. It’s “lazy journalism”, he sulked..."

Image: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

She was talking about Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Féin, who is possibly responsible for more Irish being spoken, albeit sometimes not perfect Irish, in the Dáil Chamber certainly in the past fifty years. Indeed he is possibly the person responsible for the most Irish being spoken in either chamber of the Oireachtas since the late Pól Ó Foigheal was a senator. Hopefully he will be eclipsed by some other deputies and senators, especially those whose mother tongue it is!

However back to the case in point. Mr Adams it appears read Ms Lord's column (don't we all?) and chose to take issue in a well reasoned response which I reproduce in full here:

A chara, – 

I am a fan of Miriam Lord. I enjoy her colour pieces and admire her writing skills. I do take issue with her, however, on the matter of Irish in the Dáil (Dáil Sketch, October 10th). 

For the record I did not ask her to encourage me. I put it to her in a perfectly reasonable way that she should be encouraging the use of Irish in the Dáil. I think all of us should do that. And not only in the Dáil. And not only during Seachtain na Gaeilge. 

It is a matter of puzzlement to me that Oireachtas members with much more Irish than me do not speak the language more often in the chamber. Of course the English language media generally does not use the Irish language contributions. So maybe that is the reason why many TDs, including Ministers, use only English. 

The Taoiseach is the exception. He will respond to questions in Irish though his answers are no clearer or informative than his responses in English. Ach sin scéal eile. 

For my part in my modest way I use Irish whenever I can. With my Sinn Féin colleagues and other Oireachtas members. In my everyday life. With my family and friends. That is what language is for. So, I will continue in my humble way to put questions in Irish to our Taoiseach. I encourage other TDs and Seanadóirí to do likewise. This is not a competition. Everyone who has Irish should use it. Everywhere. 

– Yours, etc, 

 GERRY ADAMS TD, Sinn Féin President, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

As someone myself, it has always been a "puzzlement" to me to how people, including those whose cardle language it is, choose not to use it in public fora. I feel this letter from one of our political leaders gives a philosophy of use which is sadly lacking in virtually all public figures in whatever walk of life, political, eclesiastical, business, or academic etc.

Adams has hit the nail on the head. "Everyone who has Irish should use it. Everywhere."

As the old saying has it "Beatha teanga í a labhairt!"

• Féach ar seo chomh maith (Look at these too!)
No Irish for the Irish Parliament - An Sionnach Fionn
In praise of Gerry Adams and the Fáinne - Slugger O'Toole