Comments made by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, in which he outlined his reasons for appointing a non-Irish speaker to the post of Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs last year, have been criticised by opposition and language groups.
Mr Kenny told the makers of an RTÉ radio documentary broadcast on Saturday that he appointed Donegal TD Joe McHugh partly because of geographical concerns that his county should be represented at Government-level but also in view of the fact Mr McHugh had "been around for a while".
Former minister for community, rural and gaeltacht affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said Mr Kenny’s decision to appoint someone who was unable to conduct his business in Irish indicated a clear “lack of respect” for the role.
He said the message from the Taoiseach was clear: the Irish language is of “absolutely no importance” to him and the role was “pointless”.
Sinn Féin’s Peadar Tóibín said Mr McHugh’s appointment resulted in the introduction of English as the working language in the Government’s only Irish-speaking department. He said the appointment was “one of dozens of actions” by the Government that attacked the language.
Mr Kenny's comments were broadcast during Fine Gaeilgeoir, a documentary by journalist Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh about the appointment of Mr McHugh and his efforts to learn Irish.
The Taoiseach also drew criticism for a comment he made about Gaeltacht areas: “While there may be pressures on the language you can’t have a sort of an exclusive reservation here – it’s a free country,” he said.
Mr Ó Cuív said Mr Kenny's comments contradict the 20-year Strategy for the Irish Language. Fianna Fáil did not view the Gaeltacht as an "exclusive reservation", he said, but as a national resource, central to the promotion and well-being of the official language.
Mr Ó Cuív said if elected at the next election Fianna Fáil would restore the status of the ministry to one that reports directly to Cabinet.
Mr Tóibín said, “We are dangerously close to this generation being the last of hundreds of generations where Irish is a community language.”
Describing the Gaeltacht as “the well of the language spoken in all its richness and depth”, he said: “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.” A refusal by Government to provide services to citizens in their own language was “at the heart of the problem”, he said.
Conradh na Gaeilge commended Mr McHugh for “substantially” improving his Irish but said it was clear from Mr Kenny’s comments the crisis in the Gaeltacht was not taken into account when the decision to appoint him was taken.
