Hypocrisy goes on when it comes to our language

COMMENT

The promotion of the Irish language must have generated more hypocrisy and bullshit over the years than any other subject.

That hypocrisy and bull was never more clearly demonstrated than in recent weeks, with the appointment of Roscommon TD Frank Feighan as Fine Gael spokesman on the Gaeltacht and Irish language affairs.
The man cannot speak Irish so how can he properly represent those who can? It would be one thing if the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party did not have Irish speakers in its ranks. But there is no shortage of Irish speakers among the Fine Gael members of Dáil Éireann.
But Frank Feighan is not the first non-Irish speaker appointed to this portfolio. He succeeds Michael Ring, another Fine Gael TD who does not have the cupla focal.
And what about Fianna Fáil? That party’s hypocrisy when it came to the teaching and promotion of the Irish language is legendary. Síle de Valera could not speak Irish when she was appointed Minister for the Gaeltacht by Bertie Ahern.
Of course, the fact that a person can speak Irish does not necessarily mean that that person will be a better minister or spokesman for the Gaeltacht than a person who cannot. No more than a person who cannot speak Irish can be said to be less of an Irish person than one who can.
But it does show a certain couldn’t care less attitude to the Irish language and to the Gaeltacht. I would prefer if Fine Gael did not bother to appoint anybody as spokesman on the Gaeltacht, rather than appoint one who couldn’t care less. At least that would be honest and we would know where we stood.
The fact is that the political parties have paid lip service to the Irish language since the State was founded.  Like the health services, they have thrown money at the Gaeltacht and the teaching of Irish without really enquiring if the money was well spent.
It is far easier for politicians to spend taxpayers’ money than to question whether the money is being properly spent.
That brings me to the fundamental question about State policy towards the promotion of the Irish language.
The fact of the matter is that there were more Irish speakers in Ireland 100 years ago than there are today. One hundred years ago we were ruled from London. But for more than 80 years we have been ruled from Dublin by native Irish governments, which have spent countless millions on the promotion of the Irish language. In other words, State policy towards the promotion of the Irish language has been a complete failure.
One hundred years ago we had thriving Irish-speaking communities in West, South and North Clare. In East Clare, we had hundreds of individuals who were fluent in native Clare Irish.
But those communities were left to die by succeeding Irish governments who loved to pay lip service to the Irish language and to the richness of Clare Irish.
Enough is enough. We either want to save and promote the Irish language or we don’t.
I believe the majority of Irish people do not want to see the Irish language die. But it will certainly die as it died in Clare if something radical is not done to save it.
Some people will point to the success of the Gaelscoil movement. But Gaelscoileanna are only a drop in the whole system of education. The fact is that the majority of Irish children leave school without being able to speak the language. That is despite the fact that they are taught Irish every day at school. The small minority who can speak Irish on leaving school are given few opportunities to use it in adult life.
The question then is, how is that? If you can answer that question honestly you should be able to explain how the Irish language can be saved.
Anybody who travels through northern Europe today will meet countless Scandinavians, Germans, Dutch and others who can speak English like a native English speaker. They were taught English at school as a second language while they kept on their native language as a first language.
Could we not learn from those other northern Europeans? We could but we won’t. Better to continue as we are rather, than to rock the boat.
The whole thing is riddled with hypocrisy. And it is because of that hypocrisy that Irish people in general are sceptical about the Irish language. They see that one can be taoiseach or president, minister or party spokesman without being competent in the native language. So they ask themselves why they should bother either.
Why should they bother ensuring that their children can speak Irish on leaving school?
I find it hard to blame early Irish governments for this failure. But after 80 years of self-rule, one would think we might have learned from the mistakes of the early years.
People might not want to talk about the promotion of the Irish language when we are trying to cope with the worst recession we have ever experienced. But value for money should be more important in the present economic climate than ever before.
Like most other countries throughout Europe, we should easily be able to cope with two languages. If Irish is taught properly in school we will have the confidence to speak it outside school and after school.
But we will never succeed until we stop fooling ourselves and admit where we have failed.