Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ba bhreá liom i dtosach báire fáilte mhór chroíúil a chur roimh Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh. Gabhaim míle buíochas leis as a bheith linn. Cuirim fáilte roimh a mhuintir - an treabh mór atá tagtha ó Chiarraí agus, b'fhéidir, ó áiteanna eile le bheith inár measc inniu. Mar a dúirt mé, is onóir mhór é agus is ócáid tábhachtach í freisin.

It is very hard to address the serious points which Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh has made without attempting to pay him the tribute he deserves for the important role which he plays and has played in Irish life. Déarfainn go bhfuil trí bhua ar leith aige gur chóir dúinn a bheith buíoch astu. Is é an chéad cheann an chaoi a bhfuil sé ar fáil do dhaoine, is cuma cé hiad. He is to be seen everywhere. He could be speaking at a novena, he could be visiting a school and he is turning up on our televisions. He is a cultural unifier in a way that is very important but at the root of it is his generosity with his time. Is cuimhin liom féin, nuair a bhí mé i mo mhac léinn i DCU ag déanamh máistreacht san iriseoireacht, go raibh mé ag déanamh tionscnamh beag faoi stair an Chumann Lúthchleas Gael, faoi ghnéithe den chultúr agus faoi cheisteanna conspóideacha a bhí ann ag an am maidir le cluichí eile a bheith á n-imirt i bPáirc an Chrócaigh nó na bans éagsúla a bhí ann. I remember how Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh did not just give generously of his time but came to meet me and shared his expertise, a shaineolas, ar go leor bealaí. Tá feicthe agam ó shin go ndéanann sé an rud ceannann céanna le gach duine. He is comfortable with the daoine mór le rá inár sochaí, but he is just as comfortable with gnáth-chosmhuintir na hÉireann. That is why he is so appreciated.

Is é an dara rud ná a thuiscint ar an gcultúr. Spreagann sé tírghrá ar leith atá cuimsitheach agus oscailte. He is a cultural unifier and a carrier of an attractive kind of patriotism. Spreagann sé an Ghaeilge gan a bheith ag crá daoine fuithi. Bíonn sé ag moladh daoine agus ag tabhairt spreagadh dóibh teacht leis. It is remarkable how two of the best cultural unifiers in Irish life during my time came from the world of GAA commentary. Mícheál Ó hÉithir, before Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh, was something more than a commentator. He had a special place in many people's hearts. He figured at other important moments outside of sport and Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh has done the exact same thing. That is very important at a time when there are things that can divide us and when there is a screechy element in our culture. We have been talking a lot in these Houses about social media - its use, its misuse and how people can attack each other, sometimes very gratuitously. Léiríonn an tUasal Ó Muircheartaigh go bhfuil bealach eile le pointí a dhéanamh. He is not someone who has the uncharitable word, a mhalairt atá fíor. He is an encourager and he brings people with him.

Is é an tríú rud ná, é sin ráite, tá rudaí tábhachtacha le rá aige. Níor chaill sé riamh seans an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Ní hé an cúpla focal atá i gceist. Bhí go leor daoine ann nach raibh sásta lena gcuid scolaíochta agus leis an gcaoi inar mhúineadh Gaeilge dóibh - b'fhéidir an ghlúin a chuaigh romhainn. Déarfainn go ndearna an tUasal Ó Muircheartaigh cúiteamh tábhachtach sa chaoi sin. A lot of people who might have had negative experiences of the Irish language through schooling were encouraged by Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh's attractive presentation of Irish to take an interest agus a bheith báúil don Ghaeilge. Tá sé sin fíorthábhachtach.

Tugann sé inspioráid freisin do dhaoine atá ag dul in aois. Tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil sé chomh gníomhach ag an staid seo dá shaol. Ní tharlaíonn sé do gach duine go mbeadh siad chomh géar san aigne agus atá an tUasal Ó Muircheartaigh. Tá sé tábhachtach freisin. That is also really important. He probably has not heard of a thing called head tingles. Perhaps he has. I do not know if he is an expert on autonomous sensory meridian response, but that is one of the many gifts that he is supposed to have. Somewhere in the happier parts of the Internet, one can find a video of Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh making a ham sandwich in a very entertaining way and talking about it in very sporting terms. Apparently it caused a sensation because people thought this guy was so relaxing to listen to. They said it caused this phenomenon.

That is the lighter side of Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh but níor mhaith liom tógáil, mar a dúirt mé, ó na rudaí tábhachtacha atá le rá aige agus atá le múineadh aige, mar is múinteoir den scoth é. As part of our response around the promotion of the Irish language ba chóir dúinn chuimniú i gcónaí gurb é an áit le tosnú an earnáil phoiblí. Ansin, rachfas daoine eile. I understand what people say about compulsory Irish and how it can create the wrong effect but is mór an trua the decline of Irish within the Civil Service and the fact that the rules were changed so that there are now very few people in the Civil Service who can provide people with a basic service through Irish, if that is their wish. Léiríonn sé gur gá le níos mó ná lip service ón Rialtas agus ó na daoine mór le rá sa tír seo maidir leis an nGaeilge. We have to find ways to put Irish at the centre of life. We need to look again at how Irish has declined within the Civil Service and to address that.

Tá áthas orm col ceathrar Mhícheál, Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, a fheiscint inniu. Is iar-uachtarán mo choláiste féin é - UCG, nó NUI Galway mar a ghlaoitear anois air. Dar ndóigh, fear mór Gaelach le Gaeilge é freisin. Tá áthas orm gur Gaeilgeoir a chomarba is déanaí, Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh. I mention that because, linked with the respect that our public institutions need to show for the Irish language, I was disappointed that my own alma mater, NUI Galway, changed the rules about the selection of presidents of the college so that Irish would no longer be a requirement. Tá áthas orm, I am delighted, that they picked a very fine Gaeilgeoir as well as a very competent person to be Iognáid's latest successor as uachtarán. Dr. Jim Browne also had that capacity.

I say that because ba chóir go mbeadh sé indéanta go mbeadh sé riachtanach go mbeadh Gaeilge ag uachtarán Choláiste na hOllscoile i nGaillimh. If some very talented person from abroad is found, he or she should be given three or four years to get to a certain standard mar tá ionadaíocht i gceist maidir lenár gcuid ollscoileanna. Ní chun airgead a mhealladh isteach ag an tír le haghaidh taighde amháin atá na hollscoileanna. Tá fíor-ról ionadíochta i gceist le huachtaránacht agus le hollscoileanna - go háirithe an ollscoil i nGaillimh. I make that point in passing by way of welcoming Mr. Ó Muircheartaigh's distinguished relative, Iognáid, but also to say that is an example of how the public sector needs to take Irish more seriously.

Leis sin gabhaim buíochas leis an Uasal Ó Muircheartaigh arís as ucht na n-éachtaí uilig atá déanta aige go dtí seo. Gabhaim buíochas leis ach go háirithe as ucht an bhealaigh agus na cuirtéiseachta atá aige agus a theachtaireacht a chur ar aghaidh. Ach gabhaim buíochas níos mó ná sin as tábhacht na teachtaireachta atá aige dúinn inniu.