Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry I have to speak in English but I am probably representing the majority of the population, who do not have sufficient confidence and ability to speak in Irish. In Stratéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge, there are many very high-minded aims and ambitious targets to increase the use of the Irish language but we must be extremely sober as well. The document states that Ireland is a bilingual State, as it is, but the majority of people like me have emerged through an education system without being able to speak it with confidence.

Some 3% of the population uses Irish as the main language of household and community, with 42% having a certain ability to speak Irish. I would even question how much of an ability exists in that 42%, and I am sure the use of the language varies widely. This leaves 55% of people in this country who do not have the ability to speak Irish. Despite this, there is much goodwill towards the Irish language. Survey after survey indicates that people feel the language is very important for the country and personally. The aim of the strategy is to increase the number of people with knowledge of Irish from 1.6 million to 2 million and the number of daily speakers of Irish from 83,000 to 250,000, multiplying the current figure by three. These are massively ambitious targets but I am sorry I do not see any sign that this can be achieved. Frankly, it is a pipe dream, unless radical steps are taken. Among these radical measures would be a major investment of funds required to make this happen, as well as an end to austerity, which is killing the Gaeltacht very slowly.

The aim in Gaeltacht areas and among bilingual or native Irish speakers is to increase numbers of people speaking Irish on a daily basis by 25%. The Gaeltacht is being slowly murdered through mass emigration, which has been an historic problem but which under the current and previous Administrations, has become a severe problem. There is also mass migration of young people from Gaeltacht areas to the cities, with an ongoing failure to create jobs that would sustain communities in Irish-speaking areas. The effects can be seen in the traditional industries of fishing and agriculture. I am on the environment committee and we saw how a traditional pastime that allowed Gaeltacht families boost their income, working with seaweed, was taken when Údarás na Gaeltachta handed the rights to the product to a multinational company. That speaks volumes of this Government's commitment to maintain jobs and livelihoods in Gaeltacht areas. Even public sector jobs have been decimated in the Gaeltacht, and it is shameful for the Government to turn around and argue that it wants to encourage the Irish language.

What about the use of Irish in the general population not in Gaeltacht areas? Page 7 of the document indicates the aim of creating positive circumstances for greater use so that people can have the ability and the opportunities to use Irish. I would certainly welcome this but a previous speaker hit on an issue that is a major bugbear of mine. Why is going to the Gaeltacht currently the preserve of the middle class? Before coming here, I checked the price of sending a child to a Gaeltacht for a week, which is €240 for one of the Donegal schools. Students would have to go for much longer than a week really to come into contact with Irish as a living, spoken language in everyday life. It is essential for this to be part and parcel of the education system if we really want to encourage and develop Irish. That would involve the Government giving grants to working class students in order to go to the Gaeltacht, or alternatively making it free and part of the education system. That would take it from the hands of the well-heeled, who have the funds to send their children to the Gaeltacht schools.

There has been ongoing gutting of education in the past seven years which was begun by the previous Government. The result is that classes have become much bigger, with a larger pupil-teacher ratio. A number of supports have been taken from education. Smaller classes are absolutely vital to encourage more people to use Irish as a spoken language. One of the aims of the document is for the oral component of Irish to be 40%, with certification and marking reflecting that. We would want very small classes to be able to do that, and in many classrooms in the country, there are 30, 31 or even 32 students per teacher.

One of the findings of the surveys was that 25% of teachers feel they have less confidence in the ability to teach Irish. A previous speaker called for much more training of teachers and visits to the Gaeltacht but there is no money for that in the strategy document. I struggle to see how it will be possible to increase the number of Irish speakers by 300% without any funding going in. It has been mentioned that partial immersion would become the norm in schools. As well as Irish being spoken during the Irish lesson portion of the school day, other subjects would also incorporate Irish language. That would also require much investment in education, including funding for existing and additional teachers.

Will the Government provide free classes around the country for adults who would like to learn Irish? Many people passed through a system that was rural-oriented. We all know that poor Peig is being blamed for many of the ills in Irish education, although I am not suggesting it. I went through school in an urban environment and the curriculum, because of its history, was rural-based and seemed quite irrelevant and outdated for many students. We know there was an emphasis not so much on oral skills but on written language and grammar etc. Many adults would like to go back and they would be more encouraged to help their children, and we would also need free classes.

Investment is not just needed in the public sector: what will happen within the private sector? This Government and previous Administrations with a neoliberal mindset have always gone on about the private sector but has the Minister of State insisted that banks and other agencies should be able to provide a bilingual service for customers? What is being put in place in that regard?

I have much goodwill for the Irish language and I would like to see it developed, maintained and encouraged as outlined in the document. I do not have much hope, based on the fact that the Government has not outlined how it will provide the major inputs needed for the education system.

It is critical that we give young people an opportunity to go to the Gaeltacht because that is the only way Irish can seem relevant to their daily lives. An effort needs to be made to ensure going to the Gaeltacht is not just the preserve of the privileged, but is a right for every young person in this country. Accessing one's heritage, language and culture should not be the preserve of the middle class and the wealthy in this country.

See this speech in context