Language Research

Both Irish and English may be used in contacts with administrative authorities and public services in Ireland. This is a matter of right under law. Legally, all administrative documents should be bilingual. Anyone who wishes to receive a document in Irish, and who is presented with an English-only version, is entitled to demand an Irish version. Until 1973 knowledge of Irish was required for entry into the public service. This is no longer the case. However, all public offices are legally required to have someone available who is able to deal with the public through Irish. Judicial proceedings can be heard either in Irish or in English throughout the State. All laws of the state and local authorities are usually published bilingually. Street and road signs are mostly bilingual. In Gaeltacht areas (Irish-speaking districts) they are in Irish only.

Both Irish and English are compulsory subjects at primary and post-primary level and teachers in these schools must be competent in both languages. Under certain conditions, such as where a pupil has been partly educated abroad, or in the case of pupils with particular learning disabilities for whom Irish is not their first language, pupils may be exempted from studying Irish at either the primary or post-primary level. For the majority of the children, English is the mother tongue and Irish is studied as a secondary language.

At secondary level, a number of state-recognized schools provide education entirely or partially through Irish. Irish is taught as a subject in all other secondary schools. The five teacher-training colleges are expected to provide sufficient education to enable all students to become competent in teaching through Irish, as well as in teaching the language as a subject. One teacher-training college, three universities, and two institutes of technology use Irish as a medium of instruction for some courses. Irish is a compulsory subject for entrance to all constituent colleges of the National University of Ireland and to all Colleges of Education. There is an extensive network of adult language classes in Irish. However, there is a considerably higher number of schools, which use the English language as the primary language of instruction.

Both Irish and English language radio stations broadcast throughout the country.

The state broadcasting service provides approximately four hours per week of Irish language television programs. A separate television service in Irish has been established since 1996 and broadcasts approximately ninety hours of Irish language programming per week. One national radio service broadcasts entirely in Irish for about seventy-seven hours per week. The other national radio services broadcast a total of less than three hours per week in Irish. There is no daily newspaper in the Irish language. There are three monthly magazines and two weekly newspapers published in Irish. One national English-language newspaper and a number of local papers regularly carry articles in Irish.

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Updated (March 2003)

FIRST IRISH LANGUAGE DAILY PLANS AN APRIL LAUNCH

The first daily newspaper in the Celtic language will start to be published in Ireland on April 28, 2003. "Lá" (Day) will be published in Belfast but the offices will be also in the Conamara and Donegal Gaelacht. The newspaper will be distributed throughout the whole Ireland.

In the period between 1984 and 1992, Lá existed as a daily newspaper but since then it has been published as a weekly. The shift to a daily should be financed partly from selling the shares in the paper to Irish language groups at home and abroad.¹

Beside the investment of shareholders, Lá is hoping to get funding from Foras na Gaeilge, the All Ireland body promoting the Irish language. Foras; however, had its budget cut by €2 million at the end of 2002 so it's not certain whether it will be able to help Lá at this stage.

Lá hopes to secure initial sales of several thousand copies per day.

The Irish language media experienced an unprecedented boom in the last years. Six years ago the Irish language TV station, TG4, was set up and it now employs more than 20 journalists. The Irish radio station, Raidió na Gaeltachta also employs more than 20 journalists. The BBC produces a nightly Irish language radio program from its studio in Belfast, employing 5 people. There are two Irish language weekly newspapers, "Lá" and "Foinse," several local Irish radio stations (in Dublin and Belfast), and a number of Irish magazines. The Irish language Internet magazine "BEO" which began just over a year ago has been highly successful and it is sent each month to more than 20,000 subscribers.

Source: Eurolang News, Belfast, February 25, 2003, by Eoghan Ó Néill, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4112

¹ They have 100 shares, each costing €750

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Updated (June 2003)

IRISH

There are two distinct types of Irish medium education.

(1) In Gaeltacht areas (except in a single instance of a primary gaelscoil) the education system at first and second level is and has always been a part of the mainstream state system. The only difference is that the medium of instruction here is Irish, whereas in the state system it is English. Maintaining Irish in this position is; however, hindered by many factors outside the school control.

Many Gaeltacht schools are de facto becoming more bilingual, because Irish, due to a series of ongoing societal changes, gradually loses ground as the dominant language. The linguistic background of pupils is now very varied.

2) In the 1960s, after the perceived lack of success of state language policy since 1922, several changes were introduced. In education this provoked largely a parent-initiated voluntary movement through two organizations, one for preschoolers (Na Naíonraí Gaelacha later a co-partner of An Comhchoiste Réamhscolaíochta) and the other for primary and post primary education (Gaelscoileanna). Groups founded by the pre-school movement are all over the country, including the Gaeltacht, but they remain outside the formal educational system. However, a growing recognition of the importance of early childhood education, as well as the need for childcare, has meant more public admission of their contribution, particularly through the National Children's Strategy of the Department of Health and Children and the National Forum on Early Childhood Education.

In addition to these two main categories, two other types of Irish medium education also exist. At primary level, there are several Irish medium model schools (modhscoil) directly under Departmental aegis. At primary and post-primary level (outside Gaeltacht regions) there exist a variety of patterns, e.g. a curricular area or a class group may be taught entirely through Irish (almost 31 percent of the primary sector reported such an approach) or some subjects may be taught through Irish.

PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

Outside the official system, a variety of establishments, some funded by the Health Boards, cater for children under four. Among these, some playgroups and some St. Nicholas Montessori schools consider their approach as bilingual, when they offer songs, stories and rhymes in Irish.

Naíonraí, Irish medium playgroups under the aegis of the voluntary organization An Comhchoiste Réamhscolaíochta, are directed mainly at 3 (4)-year olds. Their intake is almost predominantly from English speaking families where parents have made a specific language choice in favor of Irish (except in Gaeltacht areas, where the linguistic background is more varied). The aim of the Naíonra is total development of a preschooler through an Irish language immersion program structured around the child's communicative needs.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Primary education caters for children from four to twelve. Two infant classes are normally an integral part of the primary school.

Irish is offered as a subject to all pupils in recognized schools from the age of four (in Junior Infants) to the age of seventeen (in the final year of secondary education). It is a part of the core curriculum during the years of compulsory schooling (between six and fifteen).

In schools, where Irish is not a medium of instruction at least some form of integration between Irish and other subjects of the curriculum exists, as reported by up to 31 percent of primary schools in the latest available statistics (1998/1999).

The Revised Curriculum (2000) recommends at least 4 hours of teaching per week for the first language and 3.5 hours for the second one (3 hours and 2.5 hours respectively for "Infant" classes which have a shorter school day).

However, generally both quantity and quality of Irish teaching in primary schools varies greatly. Pupils in certain categories may be allowed exemption from Irish classes (e.g. years spent abroad, foreigners, attested learning difficulties). The number of such exemptions stands at 1,234 for the year 1999-2000.

The first Irish medium schools were founded at the beginning of this century in Dublin.¹ Scoil Bhríde is still functioning as a recognized primary school, the first gaelscoil. Existing model schools came under the aegis of the native government after independence.

In April 1922, the (then) Provisional Government decreed that Irish is the medium of instruction for Infant classes. This was gradually extended and reached its apex in the 1940s. However, the reactions from teachers and the public, together with a negative outcome of the research in 1967, led eventually to the reduced use of Irish. Parallel with this, parents began a movement for Irish medium education for their children. The first such school began in Dublin in 1952, the second one in 1967, and the development has not halted yet.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Irish is offered as a part of the core curriculum at both Junior and Senior Cycle. Almost 80.5 percent of 17 year-olds and 63.2 percent of 18 year-olds are retained in Senior Cycle.

The rules state that

(a) the curriculum must include certain subject areas, one of which is Irish

(b) the Leaving Certificate course for recognized pupils must include not less than 5 out of 24 specified subjects, one of which shall be Irish

While the majority follows the established Leaving Certificate course, two other alternatives (the Leaving Certificate Vocational Program and the Leaving Certificate Applied) may be taken if approved by the Minister. Both must include courses in Irish. It is; however, no longer mandatory to pass the examination in Irish in order to receive the Certificate in the entire Leaving Certificate examination.

All recognized second level students thus have exposure to the teaching of Irish, depending on the school. There is no distinction made in the prescribed courses for Junior and Senior Cycle between Irish as the first and second language, although regional differences are acknowledged. The same course is followed in all schools.

Second level Irish medium education includes Gaeltacht schools (given above), some schools which have traditionally taught all subjects through Irish and, increasingly, schools established to cater for the output of parent led primary immersion education. Both the latter now come under the gaelscoileanna category. There is also a small number of schools, which have over the years reduced their coverage of subjects taught through Irish.

HIGHER EDUCATION

There are four separate sectors in higher education: universities, institutes of technology, colleges for teacher education and private institutions.

There are seven universities, all of them operating under the latest Universities Act of 1997, which either amended or repealed sections of earlier Acts. This legislation gave a separate autonomous university status to the existing colleges of the National University of Ireland (NUI).

Irish is offered as an academic discipline and also as a part of teaching methodology in education course at the NUI. In the University of Limerick (UL), Irish is offered in the School of Languages and in the training of teachers. These courses are taught in Irish. At Dublin City University (DCU) in the School of Business Studies courses in Finance, Computers and Enterprise are offered through Irish.

The constituent universities of the NUI have a general matriculation requirement for entry that includes a basic competence in Irish. Extra points for entry to the third level institutions are awarded to the students answering examination papers through the medium of Irish. This practice was considered discriminatory and the Commission proposed to end it; however, the Minister did not accept this proposal.

Though the Institutes of Technology do not have a general Irish requirement for entry, some courses require competence in Irish, while some courses are conducted totally through Irish. Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has a journalism course in Irish.

The Universities Act (1997) contains several supportive references to the Irish language and culture. Part III, Chapter I, 12 (e) guarantees promotion of the official languages of the State, with special regard to Irish.

The Higher Education Authority Act (1971) places a general duty on the Authority, whereby it shall bear constantly in mind the restoration of the Irish language and national culture and shall endeavor to promote these national aims.

Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, The Irish language in education in the Republic of Ireland, 2000, http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_irish_in_ireland.htm

¹ Scoil Éanna for boys by Patrick Pearse in 1908 and Scoil Bhríde for girls, by a group in 1917.

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Updated (July 2003)

IRELAND: ONE IN FIVE USES IRISH DAILY

One person in five speaks the Irish language on a daily basis according to new statistics released by the Irish Central Statistics Office. Three quarters of these speakers are at school. Sixty-seven percent of the surveyed people said that even they had the ability to speak Irish they rarely did so. They admitted that if they spoke the language, it would probably be only on a weekly basis.

Across the country 1.57 million people can speak Irish fluently. In 1996, it was 1.43 million. The largest number of speakers over the age of three is in Galway. In Galway city the proportion of speakers has increased to 50.5 percent.

The Gaeltacht areas as a whole took a fall when the number of speakers had fallen dramatically since the previous Census. In 1996, 60 percent of Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht used Irish daily; in 2002, this number fell to 56 percent.

The area with the worst decline in language terms was Waterford where the amount of speakers fell from 86.5 percent to 77.7 percent. Dublin (34.6 percent) and County Louth (36.3 percent) are considered to be problematic areas as well. The only area where a small increase was revealed is County Meath (from 59.5 to 60.6 percent).²

Source: Eurolang News, Baile Atha Cliath/Dublin, July 16, 2003, by Michelle NicPhaidin

http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4327

² Population changes and the migrant influx were not taken into account while compiling the statistics.

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Updated (April 2004)

A MIXED MESSAGE FOR IRISH IN THE 2002 CENSUS

The results of the 2002 Census revealed the following facts:

• The number of Irish speakers slightly declined from 43.5 percent in 1996, to 42.8 percent in 2002 (1,430,205 in 1996; 1,570,894 in 2002).
• According to the Census, three out of four Gaeltacht residents speak Irish.
• Ability to speak the language was higher among females (45.9 percent) than among males (39.7 percent).
• Encouragingly over two thirds of schoolchildren (10 to 19 years old) can speak Irish.¹ This ability declines in the immediate post-education age but picks up again for 45-54 year olds.
• Proportionately fewer speakers are living in urban (40.8 percent) rather than in rural areas (45.7 percent). Importantly, the figures for daily Irish use in the Gaeltacht are also down falling, from 60 to 55 percent in 2002.
• The percentage of Irish speakers varied between Gaeltacht areas, being highest in the Cork County (83.1 percent).
• More than a million adults (1,032,693)² claimed an ability to speak Irish (37 percent of the adult population). Out of these only 130,000 speak Irish either daily or weekly. Over 40 percent of adult Irish speakers admitted that they never speak Irish.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, April 5, 2004, by Davyth A. Hicks, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4499

¹ Almost everybody in the Republic of Ireland has learnt Irish for at least eight years of formal schooling so this number was expected.

² To get a proper picture of the state of Irish, it is necessary to remove the school-going age groups.

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Updated (January 2005)

CHRISTMAS ON THE DOLE — AN UNWELCOME PRESENT FOR JOURNALISTS AT "LÁ"

A campaign against public funding for "Lá" and its publishers¹, mounted by various Unionist MPs and Lords, forced the paper to make two full-time journalists and four part-time correspondents redundant. The paper also had to revert to a four-day rather than a five-day print run to try to ride out the crisis.

The question about funding of the ANG and "Lá" was raised in the House of Lords. Lady Sylvia Hermon was disconcerted by the fact that the sum allocated to the newspaper reached £560,000. On October 13, 2004, in an interview for the "Belfast Telegraph", Lord Laird told that funding was dangerous for the freedom of the press. He, known for his promoting of the Ulster Scots tradition, has often complained that Irish receives more government aid than Ulster Scots. He wanted the government to decide between the two choices: either fund all languages on the same level or cut down the funding for Irish.

However, the Irish language community expressed their anger about this step. At the December meeting in the Irish Language Arts Center in Belfast² more than sixty people spoke out in defense of Lá's funding. POBAL, the Irish language umbrella group, has also condemned the campaign against the newspaper.

Conchúr Ó Liatháin, Lá's deputy editor, though admitting that this 20-year old paper faces some difficulties, believes that it will not be gagged and will overcome the obstacles soon. He appealed to those interested in the future of the Irish language to sign the Lá online petition³.

Source: Eurolang News, Dublin, December 22, 2004, by Eoghan Uí Néill, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4862

¹ Over the last six months Unionist MP's and Lords have asked a series of parliamentary questions and issued statements to the media condemning public funding for Lá and its publishers the Andersonstown News Group (ANG).

² the Cultúrlann

³ More than 2,000 people have already signed it.

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Updated (February 2005)

GAELTACHT PLACE NAMES WILL BE IN IRISH IN MARCH

On December 20, 2004 the Irish Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív, signed the Place names Order (Ceantair Ghaeltachta), which will come into force on March 28, 2005. The Order will be implemented on road and street signage in 2,319 towns in Gaeltacht districts.

According to the 2003 Official Languages Act (Part 5), the Minister may, by an order, affirm the Irish language version of place names, both in and outside the Gaeltacht.

Once the order takes effect in the Gaeltacht, the English version of place names ceases to have any legal force and it cannot be used any more on road and street signs, in Acts of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament) or Statutory Instruments or on Ordnance Survey Maps. Concerning the place names outside of the Gaeltacht, both Irish and English versions will have the same status and the same legal force.

Up to now, the Minister has made seven Orders under the 2003 Official Languages Act (on the advice of the Place names Commission), which declare an official Irish version of place names for several counties.

In the near future, once the necessary regulations are issued, only Irish versions of Gaeltacht place names will be used in the definitive large-scale series of maps of the country (used by the Ordnance Survey and the Land Registry). Over time, the Minister will request all bodies providing maps for tourists to follow the same procedure.

Source: Mercator News, January 2005, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

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Updated (March 2005)

IRISH CHANNEL BUYS WELSH LEARNERS' SERIES FORMAT

The Irish-language broadcaster, "TG4", recently bought the format for cariad@iaith (love4language), the Welsh language reality show, which follows celebrities as they start learning the language.

This show was broadcast last year on Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C) and several celebrities spent a week learning Welsh in the Nant Gwrtheyrn National Language Centre¹ (northwest Wales).

The participants were filmed not only during their language lessons but also during leisure activities, such as visiting a pub and visiting the nearest towns, where they were encouraged to use the Welsh language. The idea is that the learners are immersed in the language and they are discouraged from speaking English.

TG4, based in the Irish-speaking Galway Gaeltacht (western Ireland), plans to commission an Irish independent television company to produce an Irish language version of this show and will approach various Irish celebrities to take part in it.

The celebrities will study Irish six hours per day also with the use of an innovative language learning method called "suggestopedia", which is based on visual imagery and memory techniques. Throughout the project the contact between the learners and the outside world will be limited.

Iona Jones, the S4C's Director of Programs, affirmed that this program raised awareness and interest in the Welsh language and culture. For S4C this show was produced by the Cardiff-based independent television company, "Fflic". Two series involved members of the public, those who were born and bred in Wales but were not able to speak the language and those who had moved to Wales to live there.

Three participants were from the Welsh community in Patagonia (Argentina). After three months spent in Nant Gwrtheyn they were fairly fluent and confident in the language and keen to pass it on their compatriots in South America.

Source: Eurolang News, Penygroes, March 15, 2005, by Dafydd Meirion, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4969.

1. This center was established in an old quarrying village in 1978, and the first course was held there in April 1982. The language center offers both residential and day courses.

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Updated (April 2005)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SONGS PERMITTED ON IRISH RADIO

For the first time since it was established in 1972, the Irish language radio, "Raidió na Gaeltachta" (R na G), is to permit English language songs. The decision of this national station to jettison its 33-year ban on English language songs is part of an effort to appeal to and cater for younger listeners, particularly those between the age of 15 and 25.

From May 1, 2005 the station will broadcast the Chart Music show (from 9pm until 11pm, Monday to Friday). This program will be followed by the World Music show from 11pm until 1am. According to the estimates, 70 percent of music played during these hours will be in English and the remaining 30 percent in Irish.

Outside these four hours each night the ban on the English language on R na G still continues and all presenters will speak only Irish.

This new policy of "Raidió na Gaeltachta" has provoked both praise and criticism. Critics predict that the change will be detrimental to R na G in the long term. Supporters, however, realize the necessity to aim the program at younger audience even tough the radio's main platform is to safeguard the Irish language, music and culture.

Source: Eurolang News, Baile Atha Cliath/Dublin, April 5, 2005, by Eoghan Uí Néill, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4981

A NEW REPORT CRITICIZES THE LACK OF IRISH IN EDUCATION AND ADMINISTRATION

The recently published report of the Irish Language Commissioner has incited controversy over the use of Irish in education. The office of the Language Commissioner (An Coimisinéir Teanga) was set up in 2004, to monitor compliance of public bodies and government departments with the 2003 Official Languages Act. The Act aims to increase the quality and quantity of services provided by the state through the medium of Irish.

In his first report the Commissioner, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, detailed 304 complaints, which he had received since the establishment of his post last February.

The most common complaints criticized that:

• forms were supplied only in English,

• Irish letters were answered only in English,

• the Irish language was missing in signage and advertisements,

• officials had a negative or antagonistic attitude towards providing services in Irish and

• there were problems to use names or addresses in Irish.

Twenty-six percent of the complaints came from the Gaeltacht and the remaining seventy-four percent from outside Gaeltacht areas.

Twenty public bodies were found to be in breach of their statutory obligations to publish annual reports in both Irish and English and were named in the report. On the other hand, in the first six months after the introduction of this statutory provision of the Act, 124 annual reports were published simultaneously in Irish and English.

Although there is a simultaneous translation facility in the Dáil and Seanad (the Irish Parliament), the Commissioner drew his attention to the failure of politicians to use Irish when he noted that less than 1 percent of all Dáil and Seanad debates was conducted in Irish last year.

As for the use of Irish in education, Seán Ó Cuirreáin recommended a dispassionate review of every aspect of it at primary and secondary level. He explained that the teaching of Irish costs the state approximately 500 million Euros annually; however, in spite of all these expenses and almost 1,500 hours of tuition over a period of 13 years, many pupils did not attain even basic fluency when leaving a school. He added that even students who achieved high grades in Irish in their final exams struggle with the spoken language.

This statement incited a public debate about the issue of education in Ireland. The leader of the biggest opposition party "Fine Gael", Enda Kenny, echoed Seán Ó Cuirreáin’s call for an immediate review of the teaching of Irish in schools, particularly of the Irish syllabus that seems to turn students away from studying the language, especially at second level. If more harm than good was done to the language by forcing students to complete Irish to the Leaving Certificate level then probably it is time for a radical curricular reform.

According to John Carr, the Secretary of the biggest teachers union, in order to build an oral language base, spoken Irish should be taught first (four or five years), without the use of any textbooks. More money should be also allocated to the training of teachers and to support the language generally.

Source: Eurolang News, Baile Atha Cliath, April 20, 2005, by Eoghan O Neill, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4999

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Updated (July 2005)

IRISH BECAME THE 21^ST OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE EU

EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg have unanimously accepted the Irish Government's proposal to give the Irish language the official and working status in the European Union.

The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív, welcomed this historic decision, stating that it was a big day for the Irish language. When Conradh na Gaeilge (the major Irish language organization) was founded the Irish language had no official status whatsoever. The progress that has been achieved since then through the Official Languages Act, the Good Friday Agreement and now through the official and working status at the European level is wonderful¹.

The proposal is scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2007. An intervening period will help the EU institutions to arrange the Irish language services.

The Minister said that the Irish-speaking community should ensure that there are enough highly qualified people to meet the requirements connected with the new status. Conradh na Gaeilge chief, Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh, pointed to many positive implications for the future of Irish, which will encourage its greater use.

Job opportunities with EU institutions are open to EU citizens who speak two or more official EU languages. Thus knowledge of Irish becomes an asset in the European job market.

Already in November 2004, the Government tabled a proposal in Brussels seeking an official and working status for the Irish language in the EU. To date, Irish was accorded only the status of a treaty language. The Government's proposal required unanimous support of all Member States. Its formal adoption by the General Affairs and External Relations Council changed the status of Irish to that of an official and working language of the Union.

The proposal provides that key EU legislation (adopted jointly by the Council and the European Parliament) will be translated into Irish. The possibility to extend the range of documents to be translated into Irish will be reviewed not later than four years after adoption of the current proposal. Interpretation from Irish will also be provided at certain Ministerial meetings as requested.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, June 13, 2005, by Davyth Hicks, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=5060

MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP AND OFFICE 2003 NOW AVAILABLE IN IRISH

On June 28, 2005, the Irish Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, officially launched Irish language versions of Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003.

Microsoft, in partnership with the Irish language NGO, Foras na Gaeilge², worked on the localization of the Language Interface Pack (LIP) into the Irish language over the past year.

Both packs are available to download free of charge from the web pages: www.microsoft.com/ireland and www.gaeilge.ie for all current users of Windows XP with Service Pack 2³.

This service will enable pubic servants to use Irish at work and will be also appreciated in the educational sector, business and IT community.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, July 1, 2005, by Davyth Hicks, http://www.eurolang.net/

1. Since 1937 Irish has had the status of the first official language of the State.

2. and other partners - EGTeo, Dublin City University, eTeams and NUI Maynooth

3. The Windows XP pack is available now while Office 2003 Standard Edition will be available from the beginning of the academic year.

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Updated (October 2005)

RECRUITS WILL NO LONGER NEED IRISH TO JOIN POLICE

As part of a campaign to attract recruits from ethnic backgrounds to the Irish police force (an Garda Síochána) the Minister of Justice, Michael Mc Dowell, recently decided that a pass in the Irish language will no longer be required. Up until now all recruits needed a pass both in Irish and English at the Leaving Certificate level; however, from now on a pass either in English or Irish will suffice.

The Minister denied that this change would cause a diminution of the status of the language in the Garda and promised that all recruits would be required to achieve an appropriate level of Irish-language knowledge before becoming full members of the Force. For those with no qualification in the language a basic training will be arranged when a group from the Ministry of Justice and the Department of the Gaeltacht will specify the level of Irish that these recruits should reach at the Garda College.

In spite of Minister's assertions the announced changes heightened fears that the status of Irish in the Garda will decline. Particularly the IMEASC, an umbrella organization of Irish speaking immigrants from over twenty countries, has started a strong campaign against this step. They consider it crucial that immigrants are given equal treatment and at least an opportunity to obtain the same common cultural and social reference points as their Irish counterparts.

Source: Eurolang New, Baile Atha Cliath/Dublin, September 27, 2005 by Eoghan O Nei, http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2460&Itemid=1&lang=en

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Updated (January 2006)

CONTROVERSY AS IRISH OPPOSITION LEADER ENDA KENNY CALLS FOR IRISH TO BE MADE AN OPTIONAL SUBJECT

An opposition leader, Enda Kenny, has provoked the anger of Irish speakers and political opponents by calling for Irish to be made an optional subject at secondary schools. He explained that forcing students to learn Irish is not working. It would be more effective for everybody if students had an opportunity to choose whether they want to continue learning Irish after their Junior Certificate exam. So only those who really want to learn the language will share the classes.

Education Minister, Mary Hanafin, immediately attacked the Fine Gael leader. According to her, Kenny's comments are disappointing at a time when Irish is finally recognized as an official language in Europe and attitudes to the language have never been more positive.

In March 2005 the Irish language commissioner, Sean O Cuirreáin, called for a national debate on the teaching of Irish. He pointed out that the average student endures 1,500 hours of Irish over a thirteen-year period and up to 500 million EURO is invested annually in teaching the language. On the contrary, a plenty of children leave the school with a lack of fluency in Irish.

While many Irish speakers would welcome a debate on the teaching of the language, the plan to make Irish an optional subject has met with a hostile response.

For example, Daithí Mac Carthaigh, the chairman of the Gaelic League¹, pointed out that this kind of policy goes against the tradition of Fine Gael. Adding that if Irish were optional, many schools would simply choose not to provide it anymore. It would diminish the status of the language in the eyes of pupils and would have a negative impact on the teaching of languages in general, he argued.

Fianna Fáil Senator, Labhrás Ó Murchú, expressed his disquiet at the change of policy and suggested that it would have a negative impact on the implementation of the Language Act (An Acht Teanga).

"Daily Ireland"² in its editorial strongly criticized the Fine Gael leader. They appreciated some remarkable steps the Irish have faced recently. Among others, they mentioned the Official Language Act, a full recognition of Irish as an official language of the EU or the planning policies in Gaeltacht to protect the language. According to the editorial, the proposal would be the first regressive step in a remarkable renaissance of the Irish language over the past decade.

Enda Kenny claimed that his plan to make Irish optional in secondary schools was trying to "do for the language what Riverdance³ did for Irish dancing". But his plan did not impress the 300-odd students and young people who marched on the Fine Gael Headquarters in Dublin to protest. They staged a noisy and colorful demonstration outside the party's offices breaking into chants of 'Fine Béarla' and 'Níl an ceart ag Enda' (Enda is wrong) when the Fine Gael leader came out to address them.

Speaking in Irish Enda Kenny defended his stance and said that he wanted to make Irish more attractive to students rather than have them forced to study the language. Adding that he would not back down from his controversial policy.

Bertie Ahern, the Head of Government (Taioseach), and Enda Kenny met hours before the protest and debated the subject. The Taoiseach later issued a statement attacking the Fine Gael stance. He said that this kind of proposal would lead to a drop in a number of Irish speakers. Therefore, instead of sidelining or downgrading the language it is important to work to resolve the difficulties that exist.

The Fine Gael proposal continues to provoke a lot of public debate in the media and among politicians.

However, a general election is scheduled in Ireland within the next two years. Enda Kenny as a leader of the largest opposition party may indeed find himself as the Taoiseach and implement his new policy on the language in schools.

Source: Eurolang News, Baile Atha Cliath/Dublin, November 15, 2005 by Eoghan O Neill, http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2517&Itemid=1&lang=en

1. Conradh na Gaeilge Uachtarán

2. A daily newspaper

3. Riverdance is a theatrical show, consisting of traditional Irish step dancing, notable for its rapid leg movements, while body and arms are kept largely stationary.

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Updated (September 2006)

NEW IRISH ON-LINE DICTIONARY LAUNCHED

Dublin City University and the University of Wales in Lampeter has been working together on developing on-line dictionaries for Irish and Welsh since 2004 with funding of 1.6 million Euros from Interreg and Foras na Gaeilge.

The terminology website in English, Irish and Welsh, www.focal.ie, was finally launched on 20 September 2006. It is one of the largest terminology databases in the world, combining over a quarter of a million Irish and English terms in one accessible site, which aims to be widely used by people at home, in school or at work.

Many see the project as highlighting the huge potential for developing electronic resources for minority languages through international partnerships.

Source: Eurolang News, September 25, 2006 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2714&Itemid=1&lang=en

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