Still here but in danger!

I disagree with the tenor of Colm Ó Giollagáin's article in todays Independent, "There is no denying the clear threats to future of Irish". I think he is reading far too much into what Rónán Mac Con Iomaire wrote in his earlier piece, "Irish and the Gaeltacht - they haven't gone away, you know". Certainly I did not read it as a condemnation, still less as a refutation of the Údarás Report, rather was it a refutation of the gleeful interpretation of this report in some parts of the English language media here in Ireland. I hardly think he deserves this vituperative response!

Of course there is no denying that the real problem outside observers face is the fact that the "Authorities" have treated these reports with nothing little short of contempt. Studies which he and his collaborator undertook in good faith are not only ingnored but are delayed in publication or even worse are only published in part. Is it possible to come to any other conclusion but that this is because the forces referred to by the President as those "for whom the language is not half dead enough," are pulling the strings?

Yesterday we saw an Oireachtas Committee discussing this latest study without having at least one of the authors present. Mr Ó Giollagáin is reported on tuairisc.ie as saying that he was not invited, and that he did not even know of the meeting until that morning. Yet at the meeting it was claimed that he had been invited, by telephone, but was unavailable on the day. Is that the way to treat an eminent academic? It begs the question as to how these meeting are organised and exactly how relevant is a examination by the Oireachtas of a scientific study if they don't actually engage with the authors in a professional way? (Meeting as reported on in Irish Times 21/10/2015)

Scientific studies are just that, scientific studies. Perhaps we sometimes read these more as opinions, like an article by Kevin Myres say, rather than conclusions reached after the measurement of certain parameters and identification of facts. This takes study, examination ourselves of the parameters and verification ourselves of the modus operandi used in the study. Too often we look at the catchy headline "The end is nigh!" and attack accordingly. In addition reports like this are held back or only released in part by the "Authorities" who requested them.

Indeed the treatment of Dr. Ó Giollagáin's expertese in the area of language planning has been largely ignored by those charged with that responsibility. A cursary reading of the reports of the Coimisinéir Teanga over that last ten years will show just how little planning comes into anything Government decides in matters of language. Indeed their lack of adherence to the implimentation of the 20 Year Strategy, the all Party agreed plan,  demonstrates eloquently the policy "Speak Irish among yourselves but speak English to us!"

I do think that Colm Ó Giollagáin is correct in its last paragraph. "Those in positions of influence will not be treated kindly by history if the trajectory towards the dominance of English in the Gaeltacht - and the extirpation of Irish as a social and cultural entity - is allowed to continue unabated, despite official protestations." 

Compare with the last words of Seán Ó Cuirreáin to the Houses of the Oireachtas before he left office (in translation): "But I would say to you with certainty here today in the Houses of the Oireachtas, that it is with heavy hearts that the people of the Gaeltacht and the Irish speaking community in general will approach the centenary of the 1916 Rising in two years time if our national language is to be merely a symbolic language, and rather than being an integral part of our culture and heritage, that it is pushed aside, marginalised and left in the in the halfpenny place in the life of this nation." (Address to Oireachtas Sub Committee 23/1/2014)

Since this item was published Dr Ó Giollagáin has written to the Director General of RTÉ as reported in this article in Tuairisc.ie.  (20/10/2015)

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?

We can't afford to fund Gaeilge!

This is a letter sent to the Sunday Independent last week but not published by them. I don't blame them for not publishing, the task of a letters editor is unenviable and I always respect a decision taken by him as totally unbiased.

Dear Sir

I find Mr Dryhurst's letter (29 July 2012) interesting and almost laughable.  It reflects the ignorance of the journalists he finds so brave and angry. The "cost of Irish" which they decry is in fact in no small measure due to a decision made by a former Fine Gael/Labour coalition (Cosgrave/Corish Administration:1974) who abolished the need for Irish in people who enter the civil service. (See Blog: Richie Ryan decision made language marginal! Feb 2012)

Where I live Irish is by no means virtually dead though the Government (despite the "millions" Mr Dryhurst alleges it costs) can hardly be said to be one of the agencies which supports it by providing anything like a full service in that language.

As an example, the bulk of the work of the Department of Education was conducted in Irish prior to the 1974 decision. Now only 1% of the staff of that department are capable of conducting business in Irish. This means they must contract out translations if they are to comply with their constitutional responsibilities. If competent staff are employed who are fluent in both languages there would be no increase in staff costs of this expensive Department and indeed a reduction in overall costs due the lack of need for out-sourcing of translations if required.

The same applies mutatis mutandis to other Government Departments. Using the figure he quotes 5% of the population which speaks Irish, (which by the way is incorrect unless he feels that the CSO is involved in some pro-Irish conspiracy!) then is it not logical that 5% of the Departments should be capable of conducting business in what is after all the only language we can call our own? A language that was here before English was thought of and which hopefully will be here long after "the Googles, Intels, Microsofts, GlaxoSmithKlines etc" are forgotten?

Incidently many corporations, including Microsoft, Google, as well as Facebook, Apple, and Samsung,  think enough of our language to invest money in developing programs ifor their platforms. Is it possible that they understand something that Messrs Dryhurst and the brave and angry journalists, Lynch and Hanafin do not?

Yours etc

PS The original article was sparked by the information that Vodafone charge extra if a "fada" (Long sign) is used while texting in Irish. 
Vodafone state: "As per the standards set by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, texts sent in Irish or Mandarin languages will be charged for three text (SMS) messages if they included a single 'sineadh fada' in a text of 160 characters. Also note that a very short text, of less than 70 characters, can include multiple fadas and still be charged as one text. However, additional costs arise if the text is what the industry considers a standard length, or 160 characters."
One gasps at the comparison of Irish with Mandarin rather than another indo-european language say French, German, Danish or Polish.

You have ways of showing contempt for all things Irish

This is a response from Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge (Bilingual) to an article which appeared in the Sunday Independent on 9th May 2010.

To imply that there is any comparison between Irish-language summer camps and concentration camps, where millions of Jews suffered unspeakable horrors and were systematically murdered, is shameful, irresponsible and wrong in the most extreme sense of the word.

To insinuate that parents are displaying a “subservient streak” and subjecting their children to the equivalent of clerical child abuse by letting them go to a Gaeltacht summer course is not only an affront to the integrity of the mná tí and staff of the Irish colleges, but an insult to the judgement Irish parents everywhere, and an extremely dangerous accusation.

Eilis O’Hanlon’s article entitled “Ve haf ways of making you talk - as Gaeilge” in the Sunday Independent (09 May 2010) incensed members of Conradh na Gaeilge, the Irish-speaking community in general, parents, and indeed countless students who may not consider themselves “Gaelgoirs”, but who have thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from spending time in Gaeltacht summer camps and courses at some time or another.

With regards to Ms O’Hanlon’s “anecdotally” informed issue with teenagers returning home having lost weight after attending Gaeltacht courses “because there was so little food on offer”, she would do well to take a little time to research the matter and consider the fact that students in most Irish colleges do a few hours sport every morning that might account for a healthy loss of weight, before falsely accusing decent, hard-working mná tí of depriving their hosts of food. “Mortification of the flesh” indeed!

Whatever about the varying rules from college to college, some of which the author calls “petty and outdated”, with thousands of young people under the care of the summer college staff, most parents would much rather be assured that there are rules and regulations in place that will not only keep their children safe, but will also ensure that they get the most benefit from their immersion in the Irish language. Ms O’Hanlon is right to say that “No enterprise ever lasted long by ignoring the demands of the paying customers”, and the paying parents that send their children to the Gaeltacht year after year are the happy customers that know a good thing when they see it.

Ms O’Hanlon may also fail to see the “linguistic purpose” in asking students to relinquish their iPods, MP3s and mobile phones to immerse themselves in Irish for the duration of their stay in the Gaeltacht, but that only goes to show that she doesn’t grasp the essence of the Irish college ethos. Immersion education is just that: immersion. Total immersion in a language like Irish – hearing, speaking, and reading it - has been proved the world over to be one the most effective methods of teaching languages, away from the usual dominance of a major language such as English. It doesn’t make students “less Irish” to listen to Lady Gaga, but it doesn’t help them to immerse themselves in the Gaeltacht experience or to improve their Irish, simple as that.

In addition to the unfounded charges the author makes based on hearsay, as well as the many other inaccuracies in Ms O’Hanlon’s article, she incorrectly confused Irish-language day camps such as those run by Conradh na Gaeilge, and Irish-language residential courses in summer colleges where students stay in the Gaeltacht to immerse themselves fully in the Irish language, usually for a duration of three weeks or so. And she is also wrong in thinking that either of these are “heartwarmingly recession-proof”. The confederation of Irish colleges, CONCOS, has reported that summer colleges across the country have taken a hit like businesses everywhere this year. But they are making do as best they can and will continue to play a vital role in their respective Gaeltacht economies; though to say incompetent and ill-judged pieces such as Ms O’Hanlon’s do not help is the understatement of the year.

And finally, for Ms O’Hanlon’s information, no, Gaeltacht colleges do not have trained canine armies of sniffer dogs to sniff out contraband material, only enthusiastic and dedicated staff that do the best they can to teach thousands of children every year to speak Irish, and to have fun while doing it. That is why the language is becoming ever more popular, particularly among a new generation of young Irish speakers that listen to the Irish-language chartstation Raidió Rí-Rá (Bilingual), read Irish entertainment magazines like *nós (Irish), and watch some of the finest comedies and soaps on television as Gaeilge on TG4 (Bilingual) - Rásaí na Gaillimhe, Seacht and The Crisis to name but a few.

With the increasing appreciation of the benefits of bilingualism in both private and public sectors, an upcoming increase in marks for the Leaving Cert Irish oral, and the imminent publication of the Government’s 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language which aims to increase the number of daily Irish speakers outside of the education system to a quarter of a million by 2030, there has never been a better time to send children to the Gaeltacht to make the most of their Irish. As most past students will tell you, there is no better way to learn Irish than as a vibrant, living and fun language in the most favourable of summer-college settings.