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MORE THAN A thousand people are expected to attend a march in Dublin over the treatment of the Irish language in Ireland.
The meeting, organised by Conradh na Gaeilge, follows on from a public meeting organised at the beginning of the month by the organisation.
The march will take place on Saturday, 15 February comes following the announcement by Seán Ó Cuirreáin, the Language Commissioner (Coimisineir Teanga), that he is to resign on the 24 February 2014.
He said that his resignation is over Government failures regarding the Irish language and its failure to implement legislation on improving services to the public through Irish.
Conradh na Gaeilge (CNAG) also is holding the event due to a report by the Council of Europe on the Northern Ireland Assembly, which criticised the assembly for its “hostile climate” towards the Irish language.
It found that there is a lack of support for Irish in the assembly.
Inaction
As well as the recent public meeting in Liberty Hall in Dublin, meetings have been taking place around the country on the issue, general secretary of CNAG, Julian De Spáinn told TheJournal.ie.
He said that there has been a number of years of inaction from both the Irish and Northern Irish governments on the issue.
He said that they are “coming out strongly to say that the politicians have to start acting on what it is we’re looking for when it comes to Irish language promotion and support”.
One of the main issues for CNAG is the support for the language within the Civil Service, and State services for people.
He said that people living in the Gaeltacht have shared stories of being told that they cannot communicate in their native language. One woman in Liberty Hall was told by a nurse, when she went to hospital with her daughter, that “if your daughter can’t speak English to me I can’t treat her”, said De Spáinn.
They are also calling on the government to focus on the Irish language when recruiting new members to the civil service. “We are not saying every civil servant has to have Irish,” said De Spáinn.
However, they would like the government to increase the number of new recruits with the Irish language.
In addition, CNAG is asking the government not to renew the derogation on the Irish language that it was given when the European Union recognised it as an official EU language.
“If they go to the EU in the morning and ask for the derogation to be removed, one of the upsides is that the EU could recruit EU could recruit 300 [Irish-speaking people],” said De Spáinn.
“We want the governments to understand the value of the language,” he said. “It helps us identify differently to the rest of the world. We are a big believer in mother tongue plus two – if you are learning Irish and have English, it makes learning a third language is easier.”
They are planning lobbying days at the Dáil and the Northern Ireland Assembly in the coming months, and will also be focusing on the local elections during the campaign.
The march will begin at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square at 2pm and will see performances by Kila, Seo Linn and Na Fíréin. All members of the public are welcome to take part, said CNAG.
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Nope, it suxx, but I like Ed sheeran, seems a sound bloke.
@Darren Matthews: this should have been a poll option! I’m happy for the geezer and with him all the happiness his success can bring, but if he was strumming in my front garden I’d close the curtains – after dropping him out a cup of tea first of course!
I don’t think I’d know one of his songs
Sad to say I’ve turned into my dad, music was better in my day and so on.
@Nollaig Kelly: just flick on the radio pal, I’d say a quick scan through all the stations and it will seem that you will find one of his songs on at any given moment. Incredibly popular musician with the main stream radio stations.
@Gordon Larney: in super. markets and pubs its mostly 60,s and seventies music.. All the modern singers now are like wet milky tea with dollops of sugar.. What people see in Ed sheerins feeble warbling is beyond me! My generation were brought up on the stones, beatles, lead zeplin.. Beach Boys.. Blues, soul.. Jazz.
..ie quality music.. Music now is instantly Disposable to appease the tone challenged.!
Saw him in Vicar Street last night. Really amazing gig, he really engages with his audience.
There are a lot of people in Limerick & Cork very annoyed that this bloke is being allowed to play in their stadiums while their teams have to play elsewhere.
@O’Brien Michael: not his fault to be fair
@O’Brien Michael: That’s the GAAs decision, Ed didn’t hijack the stadiums! They can be annoyed, just not with him.
@O’Brien Michael: blame ur stadium ownets and teams
No I like led zepplin now they knew how t plargerise…
Nanana nanana ….
Decent lad , skipping his songs.
Everything is muck since Roy Orbison died
@Aonghus O Flaherty: what a voice Roy had. Could listen to him all day.
@Brian Dunne: Amen!
His music wouldn’t be to my taste – I’m a Depeche Mode fan more than anything else – but as other people have said here he seems to be a pretty decent chap. I’d sooner have him come here than another performer whose name I will not utter.
his songs are well constructed, diverse and always have a story behind them. even song wrote for other people have the same feeling, while bringing in co-writers like johnny from snow patrol have made him more rounded. they might be easy listening staples, but they’re goid songs.
I’ve seen some odd polls on the journal but this is way up there! Obviously I took part. Who doesn’t!
A-team is a great song. I don’t really know any others.
@Caroline Otoole: This song comes on in my car every time I switch it on. Drives me nuts. I must delete it. He seems like a decent lad and I wish him well but his songs are all a bit samey and just not my cup of tea.
@Caroline Otoole: “in 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit….if you have a problem, and no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire….”
The radio is after turning me off him cause they play his songs constantly
He is one of my Bad Habits.
Ill get my coat.
@Jason Flynn-Wall: That joke gave me Shivers
I couldn’t possibly listen to someone who shares a barber with Boris Johnson
Jazz musicians are fine when they play Bach.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=leipzig+jazz+bach+youtube&docid=608008425553012690&mid=87BFDE134A4CEA8453A887BFDE134A4CEA8453A8&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
I’m not in to pop so
I couldn’t possibly listen to someone who shares a barber with Boris Johnson
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