Official status for Irish (press release)

Yoda

STÁDAS NA GAEILGE SAN EORAIP

Ní bheidh an deis chéanna go deo arís ann chun stádas oifigiúil oibre a bhaint amach don Ghaeilge san Aontas Eorpach. Tá comhghuaillíocht láidir curtha le chéile faoi scáth na heagraíochta nua aonaidhme, STÁDAS, agus feachtas á thionscnamh a bhfuil sé mar chuspóir aige dul i bhfeidhm ar an Rialtas faoi seo. Tá ionadaithe ann ó Chonradh na Gaeilge, Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Gaelscoileanna, Comhar na Múinteoirí Gaeilge, FIONTAR, Oideas Gael agus Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann mar aon le hionadaithe ón earnáil dlí.(Beo, eagrán na Nollag) Bí páirteach san fheachtas seo, scríobh chuig agus labhair le do Theachta Dála agus chuirimis an éagóir seo ina ceart.

LANGUAGE STATUS IN EUROPE

The opportunity to obtain official status for the Irish language in Europe will never be as good again. A strong alliance has being formed under the auspices of the newly formed organisation STÁDAS, who are initiating a campaign with the objective of influencing the Government about this matter. It comprises of representatives from Conradh na Gaeilge, Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Gaelscoileanna, Comhar na Múinteoirí Gaeilge, FIONTAR, Oideas Gael agus Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann as well as representatives from the legal sector.(Beo, December edition). Be part of this campaign, write and speak to your local TD and this injustice can be put to rights.


TUILLEADH EOLAIS | MORE INFO:
http://www.cnag.ie/
http://www.beo.ie/2003-12/caint.asp
Litir shamplach le fáil ag: http://www.cnag.ie/nuacht/litir.htm
http://www.gaelport.com/nuachtnag/newsview.adp?article=500006668
http://www.gaelport.com/nuachtnag/newsview.adp?article=500006667

Blackjack

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gaedhilg

Online petition

Online petition

simu

Nior oibrigh sé domsa.

Blackjack

D'Oibrigh sé dhomsa nuair a thriall mé é ag 6.25.

Gael

Sinithe agam.

Signed by me.

amp

Me fein (ceapim me?)

simu

Tá sínithe agam anois.

Suaimhneach

Sínigh mé é freisin, 3 uair.(seoladh difrúil)

Agus tá gach uile duine i mo chlann chun freisin! Níl fios acu fós ach nuair a faigheann siad an ríomhphoist uaim, beidh siad ag sínigh freisin.

snickerpuss

Sínigh mé é freisin!

Suaimhneach

Ceapaim féin gur smaoineamh maith é an fogra seo a chur suas ar mbord a geobhaigh níos mo ard. Tá sé cuirte suas agam ar trí príomh bord ar suiomhanna difruil, agus fuair mé go leor tacaíocht uaidh! Tá i bhfad níos mo seansanna le haghaidh sinithe a fháil.

Céard a ceapann sibh?

Panda

36475 anim a sínigh, atm.

sínigh mé é freisin....

Gael

Originally posted by Panda
36475 anim a sínigh, atm.

sínigh mé é freisin....

Ar m'anam! Ni raibh me ag súil le sin. Nach iontach an áis i an t-idirlion.

Dustaz

This is so stupid.

Why should Irish be an official language?

How will it NOT being an official language harm us in any way shape or form.

ReefBreak

Originally posted by Dustaz
This is so stupid.

Why should Irish be an official language?

How will it NOT being an official language harm us in any way shape or form.

I'll repost what I said on the other forum, seeing as how you obviously don't seem to understand why the petition is pointless:

---

This is driving me ****ing nuts. I have received an email from about 4 different people asking me to "demand that the Irish language be declared an official working language of the European Union."

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gaedhilg

Crikey. There already over 34,000 saddos that have signed this, usually with some sort of MOPE invective attached.

Look, there are currently 11 "official working languages" in the EU: German (spoken by Germany, Austria and Belgium), English (UK and Ireland), Spanish, Danish, Finnish, French (France and Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands and Belgium), Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish (Sweden and Finland). When the EU is expanded, this list will be increased to 20 to encompass the new entrants.

Catalan, Basque, Welsh, Irish, Flemish are just a few of the languages that are NOT considered Official Working Languages. In fact, Catalan would be the seventh most spoken language (10 million speakers) were it Official.

A working language means that all "EU treaties and regulations are published in them. As they are working languages, all internal and procedural documents are published in them and official meetings must take place with simultaneous translation." *

So in the case of Irish, EVERY official EU document and and EVERY official EU meeting would have to be translated into Irish. It was be a pointless waste of time and money. In fact there might not even be any native Irish speakers left in Ireland - they'd all be working in Brussels. :-)

This petition is the most pointless, nit-picky, pathetic, waste of time ever. Don't sign it - it's another Internet poll that makes us look bunch of sad and repressed gobsheens.

* Quote from here

Dustaz

Reefbreak, I agree with you, i was questioning the original petition.

ReefBreak

Originally posted by Dustaz
Reefbreak, I agree with you, i was questioning the original petition.

Please accept my apologies, I didn't read your post correctly. I hang my head in shame...etc, etc.

Yoda

This letter from Monday’s Irish Times is a bit more balanced than ReefBreak’s rant:

Madam –

It now seems likely that, from next May the EU will have twenty official languages and Irish, the oldest, and , some would say the richest of all European languages will not be included. In May, EU law will be amended to ~ insert Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene and Maltese, which has circa 380,000 speakers, something similar to Irish.

This means that from May next, all official documents will be translated only into the twenty official languages and will not be available in Irish in Ireland.

Furthermore, whenever job opportunities arise within the EU they will be open to EU citizens who can speak two or more official languages, thereby putting Irish citizens ata disadvantage as, Irish will be disregarded.

For each new official language the EU will employ 110 new translators and 40 new interpreters. If Irish were included, such opportunities would also be open to, Irish people.

The funding for all this will come from. the EU translation, budget, which currently costs €2 per person and to which Ireland will be contributing in any event.

The EU is based on diversity of different cultures, which makes multi-lingualism essential to the European project. As the influence of the EU in our everyday lives grows, any language excluded from EU business will come under great pressure. and its future will be in doubt. It can be both realistic and practical to have Irish as an official EU language as EU institutions may stipulate in their rules of procedure which official languages are to be used in specific cases. In practice, the normal day-to-day working languages used, for example, in the European Commission are English, French and increasingly German.

Relay languages are used in the translation of languages of, small nations, for example Maltese is translated into English, and then to Slovene and vice-versa. Such an arrangement would, address the practical difficulties of translation for Irish.

Next month the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, takes over the role of EU President. It is vital that he now considers the future role of the Irish language in Europe. - Yours, etc.,

MATT NOLAN
Ballagh
Mullingar
Co. Westmeath

Moonbeam

Sinithe agam freisin

simu

An scéal is déanaí:

Campaign for Irish language to be given EU status

19:06 A representative of Irish language campaign group STÁDAS today addressed the National Forum on Europe and called for the recognition of Irish as an official EU language.

Ó shuíomh an Irish Times

Ní féidir an chuid eile de a léamh muna bhfuil síntiús agat.:-(

Gael

Bh cúpla scéal faoi ar an raidió chomh maith. An grúpa nua é STÁDAS?

There were a couple of stories about it on the radio too. Is STÁDAS a new grouping?

simu

Is brú-ghrúpa é chun go ndeanfaí teanga oifigiúil den Ghaeilge san AE ach níl a fhios agam caithin a bunaíodh é.

It's a pressure group to make Irish an official language of the EU but I don't know when it was founded.

Gael

Dé Céadaoin an 5ú la Feabhra ritheadh rún trí Chomhairle an Aontais, Aontas na Mac Léinn, NUI Má Nuad, a thug cead do Oifigeach na Gaeilge litir gearáin a sheoladh chuig an rialtas ar son na mac léinn go léir, maidir le neamh-stádas na Gaeilge mar theanga oifigiúil san Aontas Eorpach.


On Wednesday the 5th of February the Union Council of NUI Maynooth Students' Union passed a motion permitting the Irish Officer to send a letter of complaint on behalf of all the students to the government regarding the non-status of Irish as an official EU language.

Gleanndún

personally, i think its absoutely retarded for irish to be excluded--and that goes for many of those other languages too. how can they justify excluding catalan when there are 13 other official languages with less speakers? doesnt half of belgium speak flemmish? how can you deny the officiality of a language when its name is derived from the countries name (i.e. ireland->irish; luxembourg->luxembourgish). doesnt a country's own decision on official language have nething 2 do with it? i was ready a law passed by the irish government the other day, and if i understand correctly, a person has the right to a court hearing in irish and english, or irish alone. english alone is mysteriously absent. and it was my impression that the same was true for official documents as well. how can that not be important?

TrickyRicky

A chara,

Tar éis mhéadú na Bealtaine, beidh 20 teanga oifigiúil ag an Aontas
Eorpach. Ní áireofar Gaeilge. Leasófar dlí an AE (Rialachán Comhairle
1/1958) chun Eastóinis, Laitvis, Liotuáinis, Polainnis, Seicis,
Slóvacais,
Ungáiris, Slóivéinis agus Máltais (a bhfuil c.380,000 cainteoirí aici
ar
nós na Gaeilge) a chur isteach.
1. Aistreofar dlíthe an Aontais agus doiciméid oifigiúla isteach
sna
teangacha oifigiúla nua. Ní foláir dlíthe a achtaíonn an tOireachtas a
chur
amach i nGaeilge agus i mBéarla. Cé go gcuirtear dlíthe an AE i
bhfeidhm go
díreach in Éirinn, ní chaithfear iad (seachas conarthaí) a chur amach
as
Gaeilge.
2. Bíonn postanna in institiúidí an AE oscailte do shaoránaigh an
Aontais a bhfuil 2 cheann (nó níos mó) de theangacha oifigiúla an AE
acu.
Fágtar an tÉireannach faoi mhíbhuntáiste mar ní thugtar Gaeilge san
áireamh.

3. Fostóidh an tAontas 110 aistreoirí breise agus 40 teangairí
breise i
gcomhair gach teanga oifigiúla nua. Dá mbeadh Gaeilge san áireamh,
bheadh
deiseanna fostaíochta ann dá réir do Éireannaigh.

íocfadh ciste aistriúcháin an AE (a chosnaíonn €2 an
duine
faoi láthair) as an gcúram sin agus ní foláir Éirinn íoc
isteach
sa chiste sin pé scéal é.
Tá an tAontas bunaithe ar éagsúlacht cultúir, rud a fhágann an
t-ilteangachas ag croí-lár an Tionscnaimh Eorpaigh. Agus tionchar an
Aontais ar ár saol laethúil ag méadú, is teanga faoi bhrú aon teanga a
bheas dúnta amach ó ghnóthaí an AE agus ní féidir dul i mbannaí ar a
bhfuil
i ndán di.

Níor ghá gach uile cháipéis a aistriú go Gaeilge: Féadfaidh institiúidí

an
AE a leagan síos ina gcuid rialacha féin cé acu teangacha oifigiúla a
mbainfear leas astu i gcásanna áirithe(Rialachán Comhairle 1/1958,
Airteagal 6). Ó lá go chéile, is iad gnáth-theangacha oibre Choimisiúin
na
hEorpa, m.sh., ná Béarla, Fraincis agus úsáid na Gearmáinise ag méadú
léi
freisin.
Freisin, baintear leas as teangacha "droichid" chun teangacha na
náisiún
beag a aistriú; m.sh. aistrítear Mailtis go Béarla agus ansin go
Slóivéinis
agus vice versa. Bheadh a leithéid de leagan amach oiriúnach don
Ghaeilge.

Ní gá don Rialtas ach a iarraidh go mbeadh an Ghaeilge ina teanga
oifigiúil
den AE.

TrickyRicky

Following the accession in May, the EU shall have 20 official
languages.
Irish will not be included. EU law (Council Regulation 1/1958) shall be

amended to insert Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak,

Hungarian, Slovene and Maltese (which similar to Irish has c.380,000
speakers).

1. EU laws and official documents shall be translated into the new
official EU languages. Laws enacted by the Oireachtas must be issued in

Irish and English. Although EU law is directly enforceable in Ireland,
the
EU is not obliged to issue European laws (except treaties) in Irish.

2. Whenever job opportunities with EU institutions arise, these are
open to EU citizens who can speak 2 (or more) official EU languages.
Irish
citizens applying for such jobs are disadvantaged as Irish is
disregarded.

3. For each new official language, the EU shall engage 110 new
translators and 40 new interpreters. Were Irish also included, such
employment opportunities would present for Irish people.

The funding for all this would come from the EU translation budget
(which
currently costs €2 per person) and to which Ireland shall
contribute
in any event.

The EU is based on a diversity of different cultures, which makes
multilingualism essential to the European Project. As the influence of
the
EU in our everyday lives grows, any language excluded from EU business
will
come under great pressure and its future will be in doubt.

Not every single document would need to be translated into Irish: EU
institutions may stipulate in their rules of procedure which official
languages are to be used in specific cases (Council Regulation 1/1958,
Article 6). In practice, the normal day-to-day working languages used,
for
example, in the European Commission, are English, French and
increasingly,
German.

Also, relay languages are used in the translation of languages of small
nations; e.g.: Maltese is translated into English and then to Slovene
and
vice versa. Such an arrangement would address the practical modalities
of
translation for Irish.
The Irish Government has but to ask that Irish be included as an
official
EU language.