Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

Is mór an trua go bhfuil conspóid ar ainm Dingle. I do not possess the beautiful Irish of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, nor that of Senator Ó Murchú and Senator O'Toole.

There is no doubt regarding the Minister's love of the Irish language and his interest in all the Gaeltacht regions of our country. He went into great detail on the history of this matter, the wishes of the people of the Gaeltacht, the road signs and the actions of the former Minister, Bobby Molloy, in ordering Irish names for places in the Gaeltacht, including An Daingean. I always thought Daingean was a town in Offaly and I do not think the people of Dingle wish to rob Offaly of a placename.

Like Senator Ó Murchú, I knew the town as Daingean Uí Chúis when I was growing up. I bow to Senator O'Toole's superior knowledge as it is his native place and I reiterate and endorse everything he has said on this subject.

The people of Dingle were happy as things were. As the Minister pointed out, more than 2,300 placenames were involved and it is great that only one is giving difficulty. I do not see history as being of major importance in this issue. We have a difficulty. I believe we should put it right and I have no doubt this can be done.

The Minister suggested the plebiscite has no legal effect and that one cannot cancel an order. He met Kerry County Council in June and is prepared to meet it again on 17 November, for which I salute him. As Senator O'Toole pointed out, a committee is in place and, while I am not sure a public meeting is necessary, we should do whatever it takes to solve this issue. The Minister mentioned advice he received from the Attorney General but, again, I suggest there must be ways around such obstacles and I am sure the Attorney General would be helpful in this regard. If we cannot allow a bilingual name, we should change the law or, as Senator O'Toole suggested, change the order. Only one placename presents a difficulty so I would have thought it could be easily surmounted.

I gratefully accept that the Minister will examine recommendations received from Kerry County Council and the people of Dingle. We should not construct a straitjacket by proceeding with preconceived notions. The Minister said he is prepared to see what can be done on this issue and I think that is constructive. I believe that a proper solution can be found through the Minister's advisers and other individuals who are prepared to be helpful. As Senator O'Toole said, the people did not vote to cancel an order, they voted to choose a new name.

I also endorse a great deal of Senator Ó Murchú's sentiments. He rightly states that the Minister was anxious to give the people of the Gaeltacht their rights and there is no doubt about the result which, as democrats, we all accept. It is not acceptable in legislation but, I believe, we can put the legislation right. Senator Ó Murchú said he believed the Minister would be happy to be reasonable.

Some 93% of the people of Dingle have expressed their desire to reinstate what they believe to be the town's historical bilingual name, Dingle Daingean Uí Chúis. We have already gone into detail on the plebiscite, which was held under the rules of the Local Government Act 1946. Dingle is as entitled to the protections and benefits of that Act as any other town in the country. No judgment has been made to the contrary and we are confident that any court in the country would uphold Dingle's right to the plebiscite. I am happy the Minister will meet Kerry County Council. The rules of the Act state Kerry County Council is obliged to present the results of the Dingle plebiscite to the Government, at which point the Minister may or may not choose to act on the result. I do not wish to prejudice the outcome of the consultations to take place on 17 November.

I support Dingle's call on the Government to recognise the result of the plebiscite because the citizens have voted to reinstate what they see as the town's historical names. All Irish towns have an official Irish name and an official English name and I join those citizens in asking the Minister to acknowledge, as I am sure he does, their democratic wishes. I ask the Minister to make the necessary adjustments to the placenames order or perhaps, as Senator O'Toole proposed, withdraw the order and replace it with another, following the consultations.

I do not wish to labour this issue and I do not wish to be divisive. I salute the Minister in his love and support of the language and Gaeltacht. If he goes to Dingle and Kerry County Council with an open mind, bearing in mind what has happened, I have no doubt this minor difficulty can be overcome and a happy outcome found. I hope the talks on 17 November go well.