Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Chaitheamar roinnt uaireanta sa Dáil an tseachtain seo ag déanamh díospóireachta ar úsáid na Gaeilge agus ar an gcineál infheistíochta a theastaíonn san oideachas, sa tithíocht agus i gcúrsaí mar sin chun an teanga, atá i ngéarchéim thromchúiseach, a chosaint agus a athbheochan. Tá ár gceantair Ghaeltachta, tobar ár dteanga dhúchais agus acmhainn ríthábhachtach ó thaobh ár bhféiniúlacht chultúrtha, faoi bhrú ó gach taobh. Ó chostas agus easpa tithíochta inár gceantair Ghaeltachta go dtí brú forleathan an Bhéarla, atá i gceannas ar ár n-aerthonnta, ár meáin agus ár sráideanna, d'fhéadfadh sé a bheith deacair an rogha a dhéanamh an Ghaeilge a bheith mar phríomhtheanga theaghlaigh.

Is cuid ríthábhachtach lárnach den phictiúr seo iad seirbhísí. Má táimid dáiríre faoi chosaint ár bpobal Gaeltachta, caithfimid a chinntiú go bhfuil seirbhísí ar fáil sna pobail sin trí mheán na Gaeilge. Is minic nach mar sin a bhíonn. Mar shampla, i nGaeltacht na nDéise tá an GP áitiúil caillte againn. Caithfidh daoine sa Rinn nó sa Seanphobal taisteal isteach go dtí Dún Garbhán le haghaidh seirbhísí sláinte a fháil, áit a mbíonn siad curtha ar fáil trí mheán an Bhéarla. Anois, tá an oifig an phoist áitiúil i mbaol. Tá an mháistreás phoist reatha ag dul ar scor agus tá ceisteanna tromchúiseacha faoi todhchaí sheirbhísí oifig an phoist sa phobal. Ní cinneadh eacnamaíochta amháin é seo, i mo thuairim féin ar aon nós. Tá tionchar aige seo a théann i bhfad níos faide ná dúnadh oifig phoist tuaithe, cé gur buille tubaisteach é sin do phobal ar bith. Scriosfaidh an cinneadh seo inmharthanacht na Gaeilge mar theanga phobail i gceann de na beagán dár nGaeltachtaí atá fágtha againn.

We spent quite a few hours this week debating the status and use of the Irish language and the type of investment we need from education to housing to many other areas to protect and revive a language that is at a serious tipping point in terms of a crisis. In our Gaeltacht areas, the places that are supposed to be the well spring of our native language and that are really important cultural resource, the Irish language is under pressure from all sides. There is no housing available. The housing that is available is incredibly expensive. Everywhere we have the pressure of the English language. It will be on social media and the airwaves and is increasingly on streets and roads in Gaeltacht areas. It can be hard to make a choice to raise a family through Irish and make it the first language of the household. Services must be a critical part of this. If we are talking about maintaining our Gaeltacht communities, we have to make sure services are available and that those services are available through the Irish language, but that is often not the case.

An example is Gaeltacht na nDéise in my constituency. It has lost its local GP, so if people want to access a GP, they must travel to Dungarvan and will get their health services through English in a place that is not within their community. Now we have a threat to the local post office service. The person who has run the post office in An Rinn for many years is retiring and there are serious questions about a future post office service. This cannot just be a hard economic decision. The loss of a post office in any rural area is a big blow but in a Gaeltacht area, it is not just the loss of services, it is the loss of services in the Irish language so we cannot just bring it down to hard figures.

I ask the Government to intervene in this case and make it clear to An Post that there is more than just an economic element to this and that it is about more than just its central importance to rural communities. It is vital in Gaeltacht communities where access to basic services trí mheán na Gaeilge has to be part of the community preservation of our language.

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