Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Hogan missed my point. I am saying it is possible that in the future you could have Gaeltacht urban areas. However, we do not have any Gaeltacht urban areas so even the little towns in the Gaeltacht such as Dingle were English speaking for a fair way back. The places where the language stayed stronger, even if they were heavily populated like Cois Fharraige always was, such as An Ceathrú Rua and Ceantar na nOileán, for whatever reason were all dispersed communities. There could be big and rapid compact developments but if you do that too quickly in the Gaeltacht you will destroy the language. If you think of the linguistic reality and if you allow somebody to build on their family lands who is coming from an Irish speaking family then mamó and dadó are next door and the kids are running between the houses. They are all Irish speakers so you have a great chance that the kids grow up with Irish. If you take those parents out and put them into a town away from the sources of the language, the link is broken. When we talk about maintaining the existing communities and their structures in the strong linguistic areas, there is a much better chance of getting it on to the next generation and I suggest that a study be done of this. Bheadh a fhios ag Aodhán Mac Cormaic faoi na ceantair áirithe. It was interesting to listen to parents talk about their kids recently. They said that when Leitir Móir was playing in Galway they noticed the Irish the young teenagers had because the pattern has not been disrupted there. The Gaeltacht is small and unique. There is no other area anywhere in the world that is Irish speaking so it is this one or none.

It would be worthwhile having special rules, particularly looking at this issue, and if a special provision is required in the revised spatial strategy, it would be worthwhile doing do. If I draw up a plan for the Gaeltacht, I would have no control over the planning system if Government policy were to come against me.