Ten years ago an English academic published a book entitled "The
Death of the Irish Language". It was a title that was to anger many, according
to its author, especially those who did not read the book. Those who did read
it were impressed, if not happy, at what they found in the conclusions of enormously
detailed research into the continuing decline of the Irish language.
That writer, Reg Hindley, of the Dept. of European Studies, Bradford
University, addressed a meeting of Conradh na gaelige this week in Bearna
Golf Club. It was a unique Conradh meeting in that it was conducted throughout
in English in deference to its guest speaker.
Mr Hindley outlined the many and varied methods by which the extent of
the Gaeltachta were assessed, some surveys having been carried out 150
years ago. His conclusions were that in every single survey the numbers
speaking Irish in the vernacular were greatly exaggerated, for a variety
of reasons.
While the Department of Education is regularly criticised for its mishandling
of attempts to revive the language, Mr Hindley pointed out that the Department
was the only state body that constantly, and at great expense to itself,
carried on the campaign to reverse the decline in the numbers speaking
Irish.
Success a threat
Speaking of what he called "the linguistic cost of wealth creation",
he went on to depict how the language is further endangered by the recent
economic boom in Gaeltacht areas. Irish speakers, who left the Gaeltacht
and lived elsewhere, often in Britain or the USA, are now returning with
spouses and children born elsewhere, who cannot speak Irish. "It
is entirely natural", said Mr Hindley, "that these families
will speak English among themselves and that English will be the language
the Gaeltacht community will use to communicate with them".
Furthermore, he said, a vernacular Irish speaker is under a constant
barrage of English in the workplace, in the community and in the media.
Declaring that the true numbers of genuinely native Irish speakers are
lower than almost all estimates, he posited the theory that unless approximately
90% of the respondents to a survey declared themselves to be native speakers,
then one in every five people cannot speak the language and a real Gaeltacht
does not exist, he claims.
Addressing the Meeting also, An tOllamh Micheál Ó Cinnéide,
NUIG, said there were three dimensions necessary to measure a "sustainable"
Gaeltacht community: a competitive modern economy, not a subsidies economy;
the preservation of the environment and cultural heritage (under threat
from tourism which it, itself attract); and a cultural and social vitality.
"We must be honest to researchers and open to criticism, and ourselves
willing to criticise in honest and positive fashion", he said.
Cathal Mac Gabhann, IarBhainisteoir Ghaeltarra Éireann/Údarás
na Gaeltachta, spoke of the impossibility now of being able to conduct
business with the state's machinery through the medium of Irish. There
was a light-hearted moment when, responding to a remark of Mr Hindley's
about his suspicion that the Údarás Headquarters in Na Forbacha
were built there b the Government s as to be convenient to the city for
its civil servants, Mac Gabhann pointed out that it was not Government
who had put it there but him. It was the furthest point in the Gaeltacht
at the time where he could be guaranteed water, electricity and phones,
he said.
(Glór Chonamara)