Plans to increase the number of Irish speakers in An Gaeltacht Láir

For every language that goes extinct, we lose a vital piece of the human puzzle.

Languages are one of the greatest emblems of human diversity, revealing just how astonishingly differently it’s possible for human beings to perceive, relate to, and make sense of the world.

The Irish language is no different, in fact, you could argue it is one the finest libraries in existence, one in which we find the collective history, knowledge, mythology, and perceptions of an entire people.

Languages die because people stop speaking them due to social pressures, demographic change and external forces but in one area, An Gaeltacht Láir, the community is hoping to turn things around. It is banking on a desire within its people to keep the first language alive

An Ghaeltacht Láir is a very large Gaeltacht Language Planning Area that extends from An Clochán in the parish of Gleann Fhinne to An Dúchoraidh, and southward to Srath Buí and on to Gleann Mór na nGleanntach and Éadan Anfach.

The 2016 Census tells us 1,595 people lived in this language-planning region and 337 of this population over three years of age spoke Irish on a daily basis.

According to Aodh Mac Ruairí, language planning officer for the region, while the State bodies with the responsibility for the promotion of the Irish language are of great benefit and assistance to communities, the future of the Irish language now rests heavily on the community itself.

The plan points out that the survival of the language in the region will depend on the will, participation and cooperation in an integrated manner by the community, in order to promote and preserve the Irish language in the Gaeltacht Láir.

This point was not lost on the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Patrick O’ Donovan TD when he officially launched  ‘The Gaeltacht Láir Language Plan’ in Áras Sheághain Bháin in Fintown recently.

The plan also states that the vision for the Irish Language in the Gaeltacht Láir is that the community as a whole be willing to cooperate in an integrated way in order to increase the number of Irish speakers in the region with a view to preserving the Irish language in the Gaeltacht Láir.

One of the main aims is to influence the language practices of the community in a positive manner so as to increase the number of daily Irish speakers by 10% over the seven-year period of the plan.

The committee behind the new plan will endeavour to stop the continuous decline of Irish language speakers in the region and establish more favourable practices regarding the Irish language.

According to the research results people stated that they have Irish, speak Irish and would like more opportunities to speak Irish. They also said that they look favourably at the language, that they understand the importance and advantages of the language, that they have a positive attitude towards it and that it should survive. 

It is quite clear that a sizeable number of the community have the desire and ability to undertake the preservation of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht Láir but as Mr Mac Ruairí also points out, it would be negligible not to highlight the vulnerable state of the Irish language in the community.

“Although the research shows that Irish language immersion forms the foundation of the linguistic landscape of the region, it also shows that English is the predominant language in the home. 81% of the sample report, that their parents speak only English or mostly English to them in the home. A detrimental fall in the use of the Irish language can also be seen outside of the school environment.

“Experts in the language planning field tell us that the success of the language planning process depends on the will and participation of the community. Many aspects of hope can be perceived throughout the research so as to suggest that the preservation of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht Láir is possible. It is imperative, however, that the community have the desire, diligence and dedication to ensure the preservation of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht Láir,” he says.

Further information on the plan for this region is available at: anghaeltachtlair@outlook.ie or by phone: (087) 387 8027.