Gaeltacht communities will no longer have Irish as “the natural organic language of the community” unless immediate Government action is taken to address the housing crisis, Irish language activists have warned.
Representatives of Gaeltacht housing advocates Tinteán and Raic, an umbrella campaign for equitable investment in the Irish language sector, held a protest at the gates of Leinster House on Wednesday and demanded “emergency intervention” by Government to protect the Irish language sector.
Activists called on the Government to amend legislation currently before the Oireachtas to give Gaeltacht development agency Údarás na Gaeltachta statutory powers and additional financial resources to address Gaeltacht housing needs.
“There are probably 20,000 people living in areas where you could say that Irish is the natural everyday language of the community,” said Donncha Ó hÉallaithe on behalf of the Connemara housing group Bánú. “Those numbers are dwindling all the time.
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‘I grew up in an apartment in another country. I bought an apartment in Dublin and had to get out after a year’
‘Our daughter is almost 40 and moving out soon, but she has told her son that he can stay with us’
“If that continues for much longer, we won’t have anywhere where we can say, probably for the first time in maybe two or three thousand years, that Irish is the natural organic language of a community.”
Mr Ó hÉallaithe said the Department of the Gaeltacht has the authority to establish schemes supporting Irish speakers seeking to settle in the Gaeltacht, but has failed to exercise these powers.
“It is incredible that in the middle of a housing crisis that a Government department would have powers that they are not using.”
Protesters also called for a reversal of €820,000 in cuts recently imposed by cross-Border body Foras na Gaeilge.
“We want the Government to provide funding to reverse those cutbacks but not only that, they also need to solve the long-term funding problems that we have in the sector,” said Conradh na Gaeilge’s Julian de Spáinn.
Foras na Gaeilge announced eight weeks ago it would have to cut funding to Irish language organisations and community groups due to a shortfall in its budget for 2025.
Due to the cross-Border nature of the body, funding is operated along a weighted model where the Government provides 75 per cent of its annual allocation, with Stormont providing the remaining 25 per cent. As the 75:25 ratio must be preserved, any increase in funding must be proportionally matched by both administrations.
[ Gaeltacht groups protest over housing crisis ‘that has led to depopulation’Opens in new window ]
However, attempts to address the funding issue, including a new model proposed by finance ministers from both administrations, have been met with resistance.
“There is a new model on the table that was agreed by the two ministers for finance but we know the DUP is not allowing it to go to the Executive Committee,” Mr de Spáinn said.
“It would allow one government to provide funding, even if the other government doesn’t provide the funding as laid out under the current mechanism.”
“The Government has money ready and waiting to go out the door but they can’t provide that money because of this structure. It hasn’t been agreed by the Executive, which is basically the DUP blocking [progress].”
Mr de Spáinn said another funding mechanism will have to be identified “to make sure that funding goes in to communities” in the event agreement cannot be reached.
“We are in a moment when it comes to the Irish language where there is huge interest in it. There is a significant number of people who say they have some level of Irish, but we are not giving them the opportunity to use it. If we don’t fund these community and national groups properly, we are not going to capitalise on where we are at the moment – we are going to waste and lose that opportunity.”
Speaking recently, Minister for the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary said communication was continuing with the Department for Communities, Foras na Gaeilge’s co-sponsor in the North.
The Department of the Gaeltacht has been contacted for comment.
