éirígí Tir Chonaill

An Bord Snip – Tír gan Teanga, Tír gan Anam!
02/08/09

(English version follows.)

Le moladh an Bhoird Snip Nua ag bagairt dífhostaíochta agus aimléise tá fíorbhaol ann go mbeidh ciorruithe fíochmhara ann don Ghaeilge freisin.

Pé dul chun cinn atá déanta ag an teanga le blianta beaga anuas sna meáin chumarsáide, sna gaelscoileanna agus ó thaobh séirbhísí Gaeilge de tá féidearthacht ann go scriosfaí an obair mhaith seo. Buille tubaisteach don teanga a bheadh i gceist dá gcuirfí moltaí Cholm Mhic Chárthaigh i bhfeidhm.

Mhol an Bord Snip Nua ciorrú a dhéanamh ar an maoiniú stáit a fhaigheann TG4 agus laghdú €10 milliún (£8.5 milliún) a dhéanamh thar 2-3 bliana ar an €37 milliún (£31 milliún) a fhaigheann siad in aghaidh na bliana. Seo laghdú beagnach 1/3 ar an méad a fhaigheann an t-aon stáisiún teilifíse Gaeilge atá ann.

De bharr na gciorruithe seo beidh cláracha cosúil le Paisean Faisean, Hector, Aifric agus cartúin i nGaeilge go léir i mbaol.

Mhol an Bord Snip Nua ciorrú €1 milliún (£845,000) ar Chiste na Gaeilge a thugann maoiniú do Raidió Rí Rá, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann agus do Thaibhdhearc na Gaillimhe.

Bheadh deireadh le Comhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta a chuireann acmhainní teagaisc agus tacaíocht ar fáil do scoileanna atá ag feidhmiú trí mheán na Gaeilge agus atá lonnaithe sa Ghaeltacht. Gan an t-eagras seo beidh deacrachtaí móra ann do scoileanna Gaeilge a bhaineann úsáid as ábháir Ghaeilge.

Cuirfear deireadh le Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge. Is é seo an t-ioncam beag a spreagann muintir na Gaeltachta le fanacht ina gcónaí sna Gaeltachtaí agus stop a chur le meath a bpobal.

Moladh deireadh a chur le Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge freisin. Seo an fóirdheontas a fhaigheann na Mná Tí sna Gaeltachtaí. Clúdaíonn sé seo costais na gcúrsaí samhraidh agus gan an fóirdheontas seo bheadh na cúrsaí samhraidh sna Gaeltachtaí go mór mór i mbaol.

Beidh An Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta imithe agus aistreofar obair na roinne go dtí an Roinn Oideachas agus Eolaíochta.

Leis an easpa tacaíochta a fhaigheann An Ghaeilge cheana féin is ionsaí mór iad na moltaí seo ar an dteanga náisiúnta. Agus na Gaeltachtaí ag meath de shíor de bharr easpa seirbhísí agus postanna beidh siad níos mó i mbaol ná mar a bhí siad riamh gan tacaíocht agus maoiniú an stáit 26-Contae.

Gan acmhainní agus tacaíocht á chur ar fáil ag an Comhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta beidh sé fíordheacair do na gaelscoileanna sa Ghalltacht agus sa Ghaeltacht feidhmiú mar is gnáth.

Cé go bhfuil ag éirí le TG4 ní bheidh an caighdeán céanna le feiceáil gan na cláracha iontacha a thaispeánann siad do dhaoine fásta agus do pháistí agus an chabhair a thugann siad do lucht foghlamtha na Gaeilge.

Gan na seirbhísí bunúsacha seo is féidir súil le meath na teanga agus scrios ar an dea-obair atá déanta ag gníomhaithe teanga le blianta fada anuas.

Tá sé riachtanach go gcuirtear brú ar ar an rialtas eite-dheis gan bhotún tromchúiseach a dhéanamh tríd tairne eile a chur i gcónra na Gaeilge.

Tír gan teanga, Tír gan anam!

An Bord Snip – Tír gan Teanga, Tír gan Anam!

With An Bord Snip Nua’s right-wing proposals threatening unemployment and misery, there is a very real danger that the Irish language will also suffer savage cutbacks.

Whatever progress the language has made in the media, in Irish-speaking schools and in terms of Irish language services in recent years, there is a possibility that all of this good work could be destroyed. If Colm McCarthy’s proposals are implemented, it will be a disastrous blow to the Irish language.

An Bord Snip Nua has proposed cutting state funding to TG4 and a reduction of €10 million (£8.5 million) over 2-3 years to the €37 million (£31 million) they receive each year. This is a reduction of almost 1/3 of the amount the only Irish language television station receives.

Because of these cutbacks, programmes such as Paisean Faisean, Hector, Aifric and cartoons in Irish will all be at risk.

An Bord Snip Nua have proposed a cutback of €1 million (£845,000) to Ciste na Gaeilge [The Irish language Fund], who fund Raidió Rí Rá, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe.

There will be an end to Comhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta [The Council of Gaeltacht Education and Irish medium Education], who provide teaching resources and support for schools that function through Irish and for schools based in the Gaeltacht. Without this organisation, there will be major difficulties for schools that use material through Irish.

There will be an end put to Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge [The Irish-speaking Scheme]. This is the small income that the Gaeltacht population receives to encourage them to stay living in the Gaeltachtaí and to stop the decline of their communities.

An end to Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge [The Irish language Learners Scheme] has also been proposed. This is the subsidy that the Mná Tí in the Gaeltachtaí receive. This covers the costs of the summer courses and, without this subsidy, the summer courses in the Gaeltachtaí would be highly at risk.

The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs will be gone and the Department’s work will be transferred to the Department of Education and Science.

With the lack of support the Irish language already receives, these proposals are a huge attack on the national language. As the Gaeltachtaí forever go into decline because of a lack of services and jobs, they will be now be more at risk than they ever were without the support and funding of the Twenty-Six County state.

Without the resources and support made available by An Comhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta it will be extremely difficult for Irish medium schools in English-speaking areas and in the Gaeltacht to function as normal.

Although TG4 is growing, the same standard will not be seen without the excellent programmes they show for adults and children and the assistance they provide for those learning Irish.

Without these basic services a decline, in the language can be expected and the destruction of excellent work that has been done by language activists for many years.

It is imperative that pressure is put on the right-wing government not to make the serious mistake of putting another nail in the coffin of the Irish language.

A country without a language, A country without a soul.