Irish Language ‘Alive & Kicking’ despite Éamon Ó Cuív

The Irish Independent , Breaking News.ie and others reported on Saturday that more people attended Irish language courses in the Gaeltacht in 2006 than ever before.

According to Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (and sometimes, the Islands), “Irish is alive and kicking”. Ok. Agreed.

Then he went on to credit this kicking to “TG4, the Language Act and the recent statement by the Government in relation to the language”. Bullshit, minister. Seafóid, if you prefer.

TG4? Yes. For sure. The Language Act and any statement by the Government, recent or not? No way Éamó. You, of all people, cannot claim to have fostered the Irish language in any constructive way. Pushing it down our throats has been shown not to work. Have you learned nothing from the way your grandfather tried to make us a nation of gombeen men?

Sorry, but I’m only paying out on TG4. And what a payout it is. TG4 can achieve more in one week of programming than 15 years of school. It has shown the language to be fun, vibrant and modern. Not that it wasn’t before. TG4 simply proved it.

Anyone with small kids will tell you they are just has happy watching Clifford or Dora the Explorer dubbed in Irish as they are with the original. They are equally at home with Scéalta an Dragúin and Tec an Tarracóir. While watching these cartoons they are absorbing the language like sponges. Oh, that reminds me. There’s also Spongebob Squarepants as Gaeilge.

Older kids enjoy Aifric because they identify with the issues the comedy-drama deals with. For those of you don’t know of it, it could be described as an intelligent child’s That’s So Raven.

The adult soap Ros na Rún has tackled topics the producers of RTE’s Fair City would run from.

TG4 produces world class documentaries. Under the Fíorscéal banner TG4 has looked at the plight of children taken from Australian Aboriginal mothers in the 50’s through the 70’s, the street children of Rio and slave labour in Vietnam to mention but a few.

In the realm of sport it has coverage of more GAA matches than RTE. It does not shy from showing Ladies football which may be thought not to produce the advertising revenue of Mens. It has had the rights to air Wimbledon, the Tour de France and the World Snooker championship.

As a result adults just like the kids are learning the language. Even if they are reading the subtitles they are listening to it and, perhaps unwittingly, absorbing it.

At the risk of being unPC, what hot blooded male could not enjoy Irish when spoken by babes like Síle Ní Bhraonáin, Aoife Ní Thuarisg or ex-TG4 presenter Gráinne Seoige? Remember the ads for Paisean Faisean? Yes you do. You loved them. They were banned eventually. TG4 was using sex to sell their product. And why not? Speaking Irish doesn’t make you frigid.

All of this has made Irish more acceptable and even popular in everyday life.

The Bóthar charity ran its radio campaign this Christmas as Gaeilge. Ok, people got the message as they had heard it in English in previous years. But they also picked up on the new tag-lines. I have witnessed bus passengers in fits of giggling when one wag mimicked the goat from the ad by repeatedly asking the driver “an bhuilimid ann fós? An bhuilimid ann fós?”

Having a chat as Gaeilge in a pub no longer produces sneers and jibes. In my own local, non-speakers are more likely to eavesdrop in the hope they understand enough to jump into the conversation and start an argument (in English).

Gael Scoileanna are regrettably having to turn pupils away.

More and more racehorses are being given Irish names. Just the day after the Minister made his statement Saoirse Déardaoin, Mo Cushla [sic.], Giolla Dé and Féichead Ghrá were all placed. Many more also ran. Ok, I admit I know some owners who give their horses Irish names in the expectation of running them in the UK and having a great laugh at the British commentators’ attempts at pronouncing them. But at least these owners can pronounce them and know what these names mean. They are still displaying pride in the language.

Yes, Minister Éamó, Irish is alive and kicking. But sorry, no, your Language Act and your government’s statements cannot claim the credit that is TG4’s. The government may have gotten the ball rolling by approving the station’s foundation, but the management and staff of TG4 have taken that ball and run with it further than ever expected. You are just riding on their coat tails.

7 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

As a daily Irish speaker I strongly disagree with you.

The language act forces Irish down no one’s throat. But it allows me to reduce the amount of english that has been forced down my thraot all my life.

I’ve lost count of how often I’ve been asked “What’s your name in English” or told “I’m sorry, the man who speaks Irish is on lunch/on holiday/dead….”

1. aonghus on January 29th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Aonghus, I have no problem with the Language Act per se. In fact, I welcome it.

However, I do not welcome politicians claiming credit where it is not due.

The act merely facilitates existing speakers conducting their business with state bodies through the medium of Irish. I does not foster the growth of the language.

By foster I mean encourage its use and attract new speakers. Our education system with its compulsory component has failed abysmally in this. The Language Act, the Placenames Act, statements by government etc. will not achieve this. Generations of Irish people have grown up hating their national language because they view it as having been forced down their throats at school. They subsequently equate language related legislation with force too.

Yet in a few shorts years TG4 and its host of personalities have managed to make Irish fun, vibrant, modern and acceptable. Alive and kicking, if you wish.

My post was a more a rant about a politician attempting to garner praise for something they did not do, than a one against the act.

ps. I would love to know your secret for getting through to state bodies. I seldom manage to have my calls or mails answered in either language.

2. Primal Sneeze on January 30th, 2007 at 9:23 am
The lack of state facilitation of speaking Irish, especially in the Gaeltacht has been a major factor in the decline of Irish.

The corresponding lack of fluent speakers of the langauge, from which any teachers msut be drawn, is the root cause of the failure to teach Irish in schools. If you can’t speak the language, how the blazes are you supposed to be able to teach it?

Credit is due to Éamon Ó Cuiv, because he is the first Minister to go beyond pious platitudes about the language to actually doing something which makes a difference to Irish speakers on a daily basis, and to perforate the walls of the ghetto the language has otherwise been forced into.

I regard the screams and wails of the likes of Kevin Myers about the act as proof positive that it is working.

After all, this is the same mindset that poured scorn on TG4 as Telefís de Lorean.

The first step it to get Irish speakers their rights; to make sure that Irish speakers are not forced into underground clubs and the home, but can actually use the language for their daily business.

Many people gave up speaking Irish because it’s just too much trouble.

The Act changes that.

The next step will, once people who speak it have stopped giving it up, add to those speaking it.

But the first step is arresting the decline, and giving the language real status instead of lip service.

And he is due credit for that.

3. aonghus on January 30th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Aonghus has hit the nail on the head here. Maith thú mar is gnáth a Aonghuis.

“The act merely facilitates existing speakers conducting their business with state bodies through the medium of Irish. I does not foster the growth of the language.”

This facilitation by the act fosters usage and growth!

4. Mo Dhuine on January 30th, 2007 at 11:30 am
I can see that the visitor from c—–.ie keeps checking back for a reply.

Well there won’t be one. Not a real one anyway. This is as close to one as it will get:

Aonghus has had his say. I’ve had mine. I agree to differ. I will not be commenting again.

But work away on your own, lads, if you want.

5. Primal Sneeze on January 31st, 2007 at 11:50 am
Answer accepted!

6. aonghus on January 31st, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Postscript:

I should mention two things:
I am not a “professional” Irish speaker, i.e. I don’t work for any language organisation.

2nd, I reacted to this post because I feel a lot of what Éamon Ó Cuív has done is reported negatively (and usually inaccurately) in the press, to make it look like he is ruling by arbitrary diktat without consultation; this is untrue.

7. aonghus on January 31st, 2007 at 4:19 pm