Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. Tá brón orm nach mbeidh mé ag caint i nGaeilge. I really wish I could and I feel embarrassed that I cannot.

I would like to take up a point raised by Senator Ó Murchú about the importance of Irish and how we all studied it. I studied Irish and loved it. It was one of my favourite subjects from the age of four until I left school.

I felt that I left school with a high level of competency in Irish but since then I have not spoken it publicly because of a lack of confidence. I know the Irish department here offers excellent services throughout the Oireachtas and it is something I intend to follow up. It is such a beautiful language and I commend Senator Ó Clochartaigh for the Irish he uses every morning on the Order of Business. I have a problem translating it, I admit, but I envy his dialect and pronunciation.

The main objectives of the 20-year plan are to increase the number of daily Irish speakers outside the education system from 83,000 to 250,000, to increase the number of Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht by 25% and to increase the number of people who use State services through Irish and who can access television radio and print media through the language. I welcome the fact that under the Gaeltacht Act 2012, the Gaeltacht will in future be based on linguistic criteria instead of the geographic areas, which had been the position to date. When I first read this, as someone who had travelled to the Gaeltacht often, I could see the logic behind it. It will further safeguard the areas where 66% of the population are daily Irish speakers and increase the concentration of Irish speakers in the area. In places outside the Gaeltacht, statutory provisions are being drawn up for Irish language networks. There will be a particular focus on urban areas where there is already a support system in place for progressive plans for the language within schools, communities and a concentration of population, as well as State support.

This will bring a wonderful opportunity to towns like Dundalk, that has a vibrant and enthusiastic Irish speaking community and a strong link to the Gaeltacht region of Rann na Feirste in Donegal. I sent all of my children to Rann na Feirste and they have built up a huge love of Irish, with one of them now studying Irish at third level because of that love and her experience of speaking Irish all the time in Rann na Feirste. That has had an influence on the whole family. I sent them to the Gaeltacht because I never got the opportunity to study there but I recognise the importance of acquiring a second language at a young age, which is crucial in a child's education. I agree with Senator Ó Murchú's remarks that if we could all speak French half as well as we speak Irish, we would definitely say we are fluent in that language. We all have some Irish to an extent.

I welcome the fact a language plan will be drafted for every Gaeltacht. This shows the Government's dedication to the straitéis 20 bliain. This move is an acknowledgement of the decline of the use of Irish in the Gaeltacht and a realistic approach to finding a solution. These language plans, once approved, will be monitored, reviewed and observed by the Department to ensure the highest uptake of the language in each area.

I particularly welcome the family language support programme to support parents from the Gaeltacht who are raising their children through Irish, or Irish speakers who wish to raise their children through Irish inside and outside the Gaeltacht. If this programme is continually supported, it will give rise to a new generation of bilingual speakers who will be better able to communicate with their peers, have a deeper sense of self, not to mention the academic benefits that are associated with the introduction of a second language in the early years of a child's life. I welcome the fact Dundalk's first meánscoil will open in September, Coláiste Lú, which will be run by County Louth VEC. Having spoken to Dr. Pádraig Kirk, the CEO of Louth VEC, I know there has been a fantastic uptake on enrolment, not only for this September, but for future years. That is wonderful to see. Recently the school held its open day, which was a huge celebration for Irish. This is a completely new venture for Dundalk and County Louth and I welcome it wholeheartedly.

We are still very much in the establishment years of this strategy but there is an enthusiasm and energy for the Irish language. Organisations such as Foras na Gaeilge and Conradh na Gaeilge are firm pillars of support in the promotion of Irish in an academic and a social context. Before I was a Senator, I was a music teacher. I had a great love of teaching traditional Irish music in my spare time. I was very involved with Slógadh and competitions run by Gael Linn. That was the only time I used my Irish after leaving school because it was a great opportunity for all of us. Perhaps we could revive Slógadh. I know there are many similar competitions but within the school setting it was a brilliant way to get through. This was before cooperation between different subject areas and it gave a great opportunity for the Irish department and music department in the school to come together. Sometimes we entered larger competitions and sometimes we composed and went to agallaimh and cabarets. It was a lovely way to encourage students to speak Irish.

Both 2012 and 2013 have seen great progress in the field terminology of Irish. With the publication of the revised Caighdeán Oifigiúil in 2012, and An Foclóir Nua English-Irish dictionary, which went live online at the beginning of the year. These advances in the terminology of Irish will ensure the future of the language as the work means the language will remain as contemporary as possible and will be better able to serve its speakers.

The demand for education through Irish is increasing year on year and has expanded from primary and secondary school education into third level courses that are now being provided through Irish by Fiontar in DCU and Acadamh in NUIG. My own daughter obtained her degree through Fiontar in DCU, an excellent course. It is fantastic to see so many students there and she is now pursuing further studies in léann teanga in Acadamh in NUIG. The Irish language comes to her so naturally that when I speak to her on the phone, she will start to speak Irish and I have to tell her that I had no idea what she had said and she will reply that she does not know the English for what she is saying. That sense of belonging and pride is wonderful.

The course that was developed this year to meet the increasing demand for skilled Irish speakers who are highly trained in the language to act as translators and interpreters shows the importance, respect and status enjoyed by Irish in recent years. This status is recognised and supported by the 20 year strategy and will be nurtured throughout the process.