Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. Tá spreagadh an-tábhachtach don Ghaeilge. Is é an rud is tábhachtaí mar gheall ar chur chun cinn na Gaeilge sa todhchaí. Ba mhaith liom labhairt mar gheall ar fhear darb ainm Séamus Ó Fianghusa. Is as na Stáit Aontaithe é agus chaith sé a shaol iomlán ann. Throid sé ar son arm na Stát Aontaithe san Iaráic agus san Afganastáin. Ba as Dún na nGall a athair agus ba as an gCóiré a mháthair. Fuair a athair bás blianta ó shín agus dá bharr sin, thug Séamus cuairt ar an tír seo, go dtí Dún na nGall. Thit sé i ngrá leis an nGaeilge nuair a thug sé cuairt ar Dhún na nGall agus nuair a chuaigh sé ar ais abhaile go dtí na Stáit Aontaithe, chinn sé an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim. Bhí sé dochreidte gur fhoghlaim sé, tar éis sé mhí, an Ghaeilge go huile is go hiomlán agus gur bhain sé líofacht amach sa Ghaeilge. Ní raibh aige ach an tIdirlíon, leabhair agus téipeanna taifeadta. Ní raibh fiú duine ar bith aige lena raibh sé in ann Gaeilge a labhairt, ach bhain sé líofacht amach.

Tháinig sé ar ais chun na tíre seo le Gaeilge bhinn Thír Chonaill aige. Bhí go leor agallamh leis ar an raidió. Is cuimhin liom go raibh Marian Finucane ag cur ceist air conas arbh fhéidir leis líofacht sa Ghaeilge a bhaint amach i gceann sé mhí nuair nach mbaineann go leor páistí líofacht amach i ndiaidh 13 bliain a chaitheamh ar scoil. Is í an fhreagra a thug sé ná go raibh spreagadh aige. Bhí spreagadh aige chun an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim mar bhí grá mór aige le haghaidh a athar agus bhí sé ag iarraidh ómós a dhéanamh dá athair agus an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim. I mo thuairim, tá sé sin ar cheann de na fadhbanna atá againn mar Stát anois mar níl spreagadh ag an Stát i ndáiríre chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Caithfidh mé aontú le cúpla duine de na hurlabhraí a bhí os mo chomhair cúpla nóiméad ó shín. De ghnáth, bíonn óráidí deasa anseo le haghaidh Sheachtain na Gaeilge, ach i gceann cúpla seachtain, de ghnáth, déanann go leor daoine dearmad iomlán ar an nGaeilge go dtí go dtagann an bhliain dár gcionn. Cosúil leis an nath cainte "a dog is not just for Christmas", the Irish language is not just for Seachtain na Gaeilge.

Caithfidh muid a admháil nach mbíonn béim againn ar infheistíocht sa Ghaeilge. Tá fadhbanna maoinithe ollmhóir ag Foras na Gaeilge agus tá an fhadhb sin ag dul ar aghaidh bliain i ndiaidh bliana. Dá bharr sin, níl go leor de na heagraíochtaí atá ag brath ar mhaoiniú ó Fhoras na Gaeilge in ann teacht ar an airgead sin agus níl siad in ann fás.

Maidir le scoileanna thar timpeall na tíre, tá sé dochreidte go bhfuil 25% de na tuismitheoirí sa tír seo ag iarraidh agus ag éileamh Gaelscolaíochta le haghaidh a gcuid páistí agus nach bhfuil ach 6% de na páistí ag fáil Gaelscolaíochta. Cé go bhfuil mé tinn tuirseach á rá sin, go minic bíonn muid ag éisteacht leis na meáin cumarsáide ag caint faoi Ghaeilge éigeantach istigh sa chóras oideachais ach i ndáiríre, tá Béarla éigeantach sa chóras oideachais. Tá muid ag brú an Bhéarla síos scornaí na bpáistí timpeall na tíre. Níl páistí in ann teacht ar Ghaelscoil nó Gaelcholáiste go minic.

Caithfidh mé a rá go raibh díomá ollmhór orm nuair a chuala mé an scéal faoi Scoil Synge i lár Bhaile Átha Cliath. Bhí múinteoir ar an nuacht agus í faoi agallamh. Cuireadh ceist uirthi cén fáth nár ghlac siad leis an bplean a bhí ag an Roinn Oideachais Gaelscoil iomlán a dhéanamh den scoil agus dar léi, shéan siad an Ghaeilge ar son éagsúlacht teangacha an cheantair. Tá an Ghaeilge iontach tábhachtach i gcomhthéacs éagsúlacht teangacha thar timpeall na cruinne. Tá sé dochreidte go bhfuil muid ag úsáid an leithscéil sin chun stop a chur leis an bplean a bhí ag an Roinn Oideachais. Déarfaidh mé an méid atá ráite agam as Béarla chomh maith, más féidir liom.

Séamus Ó Fianghusa is an American citizen who was born and raised in America. He has lived his whole life in America and even fought in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His father was from Donegal and his mother from Korea. His father died, unfortunately, and because of that he took a trip to Donegal to learn more about him. There he heard the Irish language spoken for the first time and fell in love with it. He went home to the United States and decided to learn the Irish language. He learned it to fluency within six months and learned it in a beautiful Donegal accent. The only tools he had were the Internet, books and tapes. He did not even have anybody to practice the Irish language with, so it was an incredible feat, in fairness to him. He came back to Ireland to practice his Irish and was on a number of radio shows. I remember him being interviewed by Marian Finucane, God rest her. She asked him how he could learn the Irish language to fluency within six months when most of the children who go through the school system spend 13 years learning the language but never really achieve that level of fluency. He answered with one word, which was “motivation”. He said he had the motivation to learn the language and that is what took him to reaching fluency.

Motivation is a key problem, if we are honest with each other. Many of us have a love for the Irish language and value the Irish language, but as a State or a society do we have a motivation to ensure the Irish language grows as a language in the Gaeltacht and as a language outside the Gaeltacht? I do not think we do. The number of people in the Gaeltacht who use the language daily is falling. Some language experts are saying there are only ten or 15 years left for the Irish language as a community language. If that is true, it will be our generation who will see the death of the Irish language as a community language. Whether a language that has flourished for 2,000 years exists as a community language in future could rest on our shoulders.

Despite all the wonderful language and the contributions that have been made in this debate, we have to get to a situation where we get real about the Irish language. We need to show future parents that there will be a future for the language for them, that it is worth their while raising their children in Irish, that it is worth their while sending their kids to Gaelscoileanna, that there will be Gaelscoileanna there for them, that we are going to raise the standard of teachers in relation to the Irish language going forward, that we will invest in and fund Foras na Gaeilge, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Raidió na Gaeltachta and TG4 to a level where they are able to produce really good content in future and that we will actually ensure the hundreds of jobs in the State system where Irish is needed will be provided so services can be achieved in the Irish language.

Tá go leor Teachtaí Dála nua istigh anseo agus is rud iontach é sin. Tá gliondar ar mo chroí freisin go bhfuil Gaeilge líofa labhartha istigh anseo ag go leor acu. Deir an seanfhocal, áfach, go gcaithfear beart de réir ár mbriathar a dhéanamh. Tá go leor briathar istigh anseo ach tá easpa gníomhartha maidir leis an nGaeilge. Ba cheart dúinn beart de réir ár mbriathar a dhéanamh ar an ábhar sin.

Bhí an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach, an Teachta Connolly, mar bhall den chomhchoiste Gaeilge sa Dáil deireanach, ach ní raibh go leor daoine ag freastal ar an gcomhchoiste sin ag an am. As seo amach, caithfidh muid a bheith cinnte go mbeidh an Ghaeilge i lár thosaíochtaí an Rialtais.

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