Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Buttimer, agus guím gach rath air ina phost nua.

Tá áthas mór orm a bheith in ann ár dteanga náisiúnta a úsáid i bhfoirgnimh an Rialtais. Cosúil leis na cainteoirí go léir, bhí tionchar ag mo thaithí Gaeilge ar scoil d’fhonn iarrachtaí bheirt múinteoir iontach, Pádraig Ó Flannagáin agus Tomás Mac Aonghusa i Scoil Naomh Mel i gContae Longford. De réir mar a théim in aois agus go bhfeicim cé mhéid comhghleacaithe a úsáideann an teanga gan stró, tá rún agam iarracht níos fearr a dhéanamh. Glacaim rún go labhróidh mé Gaeilge uair amháin sa seachtain ar a laghad. Ní mór dúinn mar Rialtas níos mó a dhéanamh chun gur féidir rochtain níos fearr a fháil ar an teanga sa ghnáthshaol laethúil. Braithim go bhfuil deis ann tacaíocht a thabhairt don teanga agus do ghnólachtaí beaga le tacaíocht a thabhairt do chomhpháirtíochtaí agus do thograí eile chun an teanga a chur chun cinn.

I am pleased to be able to speak our national language here today, albeit very poorly. It is a great honour and, like everybody else, I probably owe it to a few teachers who persevered with us and did their very best. Unfortunately, as soon as we left those school gates in Longford we abandoned Irish. We are in a very privileged position in this Chamber and this House in that we are paid very well and we are able to speak Irish. There are a lot of work places where it is probably not encouraged to speak Irish. If we are serious about Seachtain na Gaeilge and about our teanga náisiúnta, we have to take the lead. I am personally committed to endeavouring to improve my Irish on a weekly basis and to trying to speak at least once a week as Gaeilge in this Chamber. I think there is an onus on all of us to do that. We need to take the lead. There is no point paying lip service to our language for one week in the year and then going tríd an doras and doing nothing else about it. Certainly, that is my commitment. I would like to think I could come back to the Chamber in 12 months' time and be able to speak without the notes and with the Google Translate and give the language the justice it deserves. It is a very passionate and colourful language. There is an onus and a responsibility on us, indeed, we have a responsibility, to help preserve the language and we need to take a leadership role.

Tá mé ag súil roimh Sheachtain na Gaeilge na bliana seo chugainn go mbeidh mé in ann filleadh ar an Chamber agus labhairt i nGaeilge gan nótaí.