Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

Ag an am seo gach bliain cuirtear béim faoi leith ar Ghaeilge agus tugann Seachtain na Gaeilge seans don phobal úsáid a bhaint as an Ghaeilge atá acu. Tá an ócáid seo eagraithe go han-mhaith agus is daoine óga go mór mhór atá taobh thiar den iarracht seo. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil dea-thoil ann don Ghaeilge sa Teach seo agus úsáideann roinnt mhaith de Bhaill an Tí Gaeilge ó ham go chéile. Chomh maith le sin, tá stádas faoi leith bainte amach ag an Ghaeilge i reachtaíoct an Stáit. Chomh fada is atá Seachtain na Gaeilge ar siúl, tá súil agam go mbeimid in ann rud faoi leith a dhéanamh anseo lá amháin sula mbeidh an tseachtain thart.

I ask that we place particular emphasis on the Irish language because that is the purpose of Seachtain na Gaeilge, which is primarily organised by vibrant young people with great vision. Seachtain na Gaeilge is exceptionally comprehensive. It is celebrated nationally and locally, and RTE, the press and many others are involved in it. I also raise the issue of Seachtain na Gaeilge to highlight that we should not view Irish solely in a linguistic sense. If one examines our history, one finds that the language was one of the motivating factors for our patriots. In our recent commemoration of the establishment of Dáil Éireann in 1919, Members will have noted from looking at the proceedings of the first sitting of the Dáil that the language was very much to the fore.

At the inception of the State, bodies such as Conradh na Gaeilge and Cumann Luthchleas Gael regarded the Irish language as a vehicle for other things. For example, they promoted the concept of supporting Irish industries, buying Irish made goods, showing loyalty to the country and so on. We should not underestimate the Irish language. To take the point made by Senator Alex White, we could show the relevance of the House, not only from a linguistic point of view but also in responding to the current crisis by drawing on our history and the example given by many patriots, past and present.