Coimisiún na Gaeltachta
Encyclopedia
Coimisiún na Gaeltachta abbreviated CnaG, was an Irish
government agency which worked from 2000 to 2002 to draft recommendations to strengthen the role of the Irish language
in the Gaeltacht
, the Irish-language-speaking area of Ireland. It was established at the instigation of Éamon Ó Cuív
, the then Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands and its work completed under the guidance of his successor, Mary Coughlan. The Irish Government approved the publication of the Commission's report, without commitment.
For centuries, there has been a steady decline in the number of native Irish speakers in Ireland. These speakers are now concentrated in scattered rural areas known collectively as the Gaeltacht and recent reports claim that in several of these areas Irish is no longer effectively a community language. The establishment, subsequent reporting, and relative inaction on the recommendations of the Commission should be seen against this background.
The Commission reported that it was of the view that it will not be possible to maintain the Gaeltacht as an area in which Irish remains a community language unless a fundamental change occurs in the way Irish is treated and in the status of Irish in the rest of the country. In its work, it focussed primarily on a strategic approach to finding an effective implementation structure which would allow its recommendations to be realised. It proposed a structure which they hoped would ensure an advisory process at planning level and which would be community friendly and language-centred at the operational level - this would include the establishment of a Board of Independent Commissioners and the restructuring of Údarás na Gaeltachta
.
Other recommendations of the Report were:
There was an earlier Coimisiún na Gaeltachta in 1926, and in 1963 there was a Government Commission on the Restoration of Irish. The 1926 report was later criticized for not paying sufficient attention to the role of economically driven emigration of Irish-speakers from the Gaeltacht to the United States
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
government agency which worked from 2000 to 2002 to draft recommendations to strengthen the role of the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
in the Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
, the Irish-language-speaking area of Ireland. It was established at the instigation of Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency since 1992 and was previously a member of Seanad Éireann.-Early life:...
, the then Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands and its work completed under the guidance of his successor, Mary Coughlan. The Irish Government approved the publication of the Commission's report, without commitment.
For centuries, there has been a steady decline in the number of native Irish speakers in Ireland. These speakers are now concentrated in scattered rural areas known collectively as the Gaeltacht and recent reports claim that in several of these areas Irish is no longer effectively a community language. The establishment, subsequent reporting, and relative inaction on the recommendations of the Commission should be seen against this background.
The Commission reported that it was of the view that it will not be possible to maintain the Gaeltacht as an area in which Irish remains a community language unless a fundamental change occurs in the way Irish is treated and in the status of Irish in the rest of the country. In its work, it focussed primarily on a strategic approach to finding an effective implementation structure which would allow its recommendations to be realised. It proposed a structure which they hoped would ensure an advisory process at planning level and which would be community friendly and language-centred at the operational level - this would include the establishment of a Board of Independent Commissioners and the restructuring of Údarás na Gaeltachta
Údarás na Gaeltachta
Údarás na Gaeltachta , abbreviated ÚnaG, is a regional state agency which is responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of nominally Irish-speaking regions of the Republic of Ireland...
.
Other recommendations of the Report were:
- The immediate enactment of an Official Languages Equality Bill;
- The provision of a comprehensive education system in which priority would be given to Irish as the first language of the Gaeltacht;
- The establishment of a dedicated Third Level Education Unit for Irish language sociolinguistic studies and language planning;
- The development and implementation of a National Plan for Irish.
There was an earlier Coimisiún na Gaeltachta in 1926, and in 1963 there was a Government Commission on the Restoration of Irish. The 1926 report was later criticized for not paying sufficient attention to the role of economically driven emigration of Irish-speakers from the Gaeltacht to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
External links
- Report of the Gaeltacht Commission
- Ireland.com: Coimisiún na Gaeltachta
- Dáil Éireann, February 2004 Written Answers on implementation progress (in Irish)
- Irish Times article on Report
About the 1926 Coimisiún na Gaeltachta
- http://www.coislife.ie/books/academic/dich2.htm Cois Life: Díchoimisiúnú Teanga: Coimisiún na Gaeltachta 1926 by John Walsh] ISBN 1-901176-32-0