Brendan Ryan (Labour)

It is a great pity that Údarás na Gaeltachta will be required to record on its literature the address of its headquarters in Daingean Uí Chúis in English. It is not something I would welcome. I do not believe it is a particularly good idea. However, I would like to put on the record a little story a chuala mé ar Raidió na Gaeltachta inné. Chuaigh duine ó Cheann Trá isteach go dtí stáisiún na nGardaí i Daingean agus d'iarr a chuid gnó a dhéanamh trí Ghaoluinn. I will continue in English because I want everyone to hear it. He wanted to do his business through Irish in the biggest Gaeltacht town in west Kerry and the member of the Garda Síochána told him, "I am sorry, I have no Irish." The man then said, "Nach bhfuil sé de chead agam ... Do I not have the right to do my business through Irish?" The reply was, "No, you don't and you never had." I heard this on Raidió na Gaeltachta. This has nothing to do with the issue raised earlier. West of Dingle is a fíor-Ghaeltacht. Anybody who visits the area outside of the tourist season when it is saturated will know this. It is a disgrace that a citizen cannot carry out his or her ordinary business as Gaelige with a major organ of the State. It reflects the peculiar ambiguity, about which Senator O'Toole is talking, of people being paid a Gaeltacht allowance to go to Dingle——