Clare Island to be an Irish speaking island?

nuac

See that Frank Feighan FG spokesman on Gaeltacht etc affairs has a proposal that Clare Island become an Irish speaking island.

Any views on this, especially from those who live on the island?.

He mentions as one of the reasons that it lies between the Connemara and Mayo Gaeltachtaí. Sadly while much of Curraune and Achill nearby to the island is in theory Gaeltacht, Irish is not spoken there these days.

oscarBravo

I don't live there, but I really don't see the point. If people want to speak Irish, let them speak it.

high heels

Ive a lot of friends from the Island went to school with alot of people from it.. No one on the Island speaks it all the time.

If it does become one it will mean more grants for the people.. And to alot of people on the Island if it means having the road signs in Irish they all will say yes.

PogMoThoin

oscarBravo wrote: »

I don't live there, but I really don't see the point. If people want to speak Irish, let them speak it.

LOL, He can't. Word has it in Ballaghaderreen that He's currently taking Irish lessons, heard it today

artieanna

PogMoThoin wrote: »

LOL, He can't. Word has it in Ballaghaderreen that He's currently taking Irish lessons, heard it today

you know yourself....Do as I say, not as I do

dlofnep

I'd rather funds were used to bring the Irish language to large towns and cities. Secluding the language won't help it. It needs to be made accessible to everyone. In Belfast they have a great language centre - I'd love something like that here.

Kristopherus

Might as well make all of Mayo a gaeltacht while he's at it. More horse-shi**e from a dope of a politician, who clearly dose'nt know what he's talking about.

nuac

Inclined to agree with dlofnep that use of Irish more likely to grow if promoted and used in larger towns and cities.

However any idea to promote use of Irish is worth examining,

I've heard that Mr Feighan himself is not an Irish speaker but is learning it, so we could give him credit fro that much.

dubhthach

The money would be better spent at consolidating the position of irish in existing Gaeltachtaí

Of course the real issue is that there are large parts of the Gaeltacht that should have their status removed.

biko

Sure, if all it takes is speaking Irish in front of tourists and having all signs on roads and pubs in Irish.

yop

Not been cynical but if you get Gaelteacht status will you not get access to big funding and tax breaks??

Any of the lads who were in school with me weren't too keen on learning Irish

finisklin

I think the McCarthy report nipped a lot of this in the bud....e.g. he proposed the abolition of the western development commission, udaras na gaelthachta etc.

Maybe there is European cash available......what about all the Irish language translators working in Europe ensuring that EC directives/laws are in Irish. Maybe some Brussels suburbs could be included in a new gaelteacht.

dubhthach

finisklin wrote: »

Maybe some Brussels suburbs could be included in a new gaelteacht.

I think the main problem they have around Brussels is stopping the advance of French any further into flemish speaking areas. 170years ago Brussels was a Flemish/Dutch speaking city

phelixoflaherty

Nien

nuac

Áine Ryan has an article in Saturday's IT about this proposal. She indicates that there is support on the island for the idea. She knows that area well and has strong connections with Clare Island. I wish the proposal every success.

Anything that promotes use of Irish without all the compulsion we have had over the years is INHO a good thing.

byhookorbycrook

A similar idea was used to create the Gaeltacht in Rathcairn. It has been over-run with English speaking families and there's not a huge amount of Irish spoken there now.

nuac

BHBC - yes there may not be much Irish spoken now in Rathchairn.

that Gaeltacht was created by the resettlement ( voluntary ) there of families from Connemara. They were given about 20 acres each in exchange for their holdings in Connemara. At the time 20 acres was considered to be a viable holding, but times and things have changed. Most of the next generation had to seek employment outside that small Gaeltacht. It would have been hard to resist all the influences from adjoining English speakers, media etc in such a small Gaeltacht.

Clare Island is somewhat insulated from being over-run. The idea is worth considering.

DJP

I interviewed Frank Feighan on Near90fm yesterday about this yesterday, his first interview in Irish...

http://nearpodcast.org/podcast/index.php?id=434

Bob the Builder

Tá an smaoineamh cac.

I'll talk Irish if I want, and I'm sure the people on Clare Island will too.