Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE APPOINTMENT OF Joe McHugh as Minister of State responsible for the Gaeltacht was met with some criticism last summer.
It emerged (pretty quickly) that the Donegal TD wasn’t fluent in Irish.
It’s not like he was just ‘rusty’ either. The Fine Gael politician has admitted his language skills were “ar an úrlár” (on the floor).
McHugh has gained praise for his decision to immerse himself in the language over the last 12 months or so, and his confidence has grown to the extent that he’s now giving lengthy live interviews As Gaeilge.
But that’s not to say everyone’s happy with the coalition’s approach to the issue: Taoiseach Enda Kenny came in for criticism for comments to a crew producing a documentary about McHugh’s efforts to learn the language earlier this summer.
The Fine Gael leader said figures showed use of Irish was “actually increasing – by a small percentage – but increasing”. The president of language rights group Conradh na Gaeilge, referring to a report published earlier this year, said Kenny was clearly mistaken.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie (As Bearla – by our choice) by phone from his latest stint in Irish college this week, McHugh said a report last year estimating there were fewer than 1,000 children who are native Irish speakers in Gaeltacht area primary schools showed there were cleary “challenges”.
“The Taoiseach was more than likely pointing to the ESRI report that wasn’t out at that stage showing that people’s positive attitude towards the language was on the increase.”
The ESRI report in question, published at the start of this month, showed positivity towards Irish had grown from 49% to 67% in the Republic over a twelve year period.
However, despite the improvement in attitude it found Irish was still not spoken frequently outside of the classroom.
75% of people with basic fluency who responded to the survey the report was based on said that their peer group did not speak Irish, with almost half of those with advanced fluency saying the same.
“The way we’ve been doing things in relation to the language, we have to change them. We have to promote the journey aspect – that it’s a journey from the day you’re born till the day you die,” McHugh said.
“What do we do with this new positive energy? What do we do with people who want to go back and learn Irish? What help can we give them? What support can we give them?”
Native New Yorker
His classmates at the Oideas Gael college in Gleann Cholm Cille this week included a man from California with “no Irish connections” brushing up on his grammar, McHugh said.
One of his teachers was a man from New York who started learning Irish twenty years ago.
Asked how he felt to be learning Irish from a non-native speaker, McHugh said it was “just incredible, and an incredible inspiration”.
“This is it, you see – this is the story.
“He’s proving it can be done – and as far as he’s concerned and the other Americans that I’ve met over the last 12 months, they feel part of the Irish Gaeltacht community – even though they might be living in Montreal or Nova Scotia.
“We need to have a very open conversation as to what the concept of the Gaeltacht is.
“Is it in Ireland. Is it in Southern Ireland? Is it inside the Gaeltacht, is it outside the Gaeltacht? There’s an international movement going on here. We need to have a conversation about that.”
“Source: The Journal”
Seriously.
Does the ministry for Irish not speak Irish either, wtf
yet again we see one rule for tds and another for the rest of us. what employer would offer me a job if my cv stated I’d no knowledge of an essential part of the position. do you think the employer would take me on and then pay for me to gain knowledge in the subject. it’s just bonkers. they won’t apply the same rights for everyone else and only last week it’s transpires that a private company has offered to pay for a teacher in the aran islands, no funding for the kids one on one there courtesy of the govt, no that only applies to the pampered few in leinster house.
Hope he’s a quick learner because they don’t have a lot of time left in office.
Poor Joe doesn’t realise Montreal and Nova Scotia are in Canada, good lad!
On the continent of North America….containing Americans… Shocker!!!
For those of you who are perhaps not too happy with Joe McHugh, in particular with his recent decision to stop the vital aeroplane service to The Aran Islands, celebrated Ghaelacht Islands, sign this petition now. If Joe McHugh really cared for the Ghaeltacht, he would’t be getting rid of such a necessary service.
Petition here: https://www.change.org/p/joe-mchugh-enda-kenny-save-the-aran-islands-aeroplane-service/
It’s getting replaced by a helicopter service. Is that not worth mentioning or do we just have to get in a rage about everything?
Helis can operate in rougher weather and the winning bid came in €300,000 lower than the encumbent what’s the problem?
it’s change. they just don’t like change for the sake of it, even though the company operating them are also from Galway and have to provide the same service for the same price to islanders.
Not like the Eircode tender where the winner gave the third placed a juicy contract in UK 2 years after they mysteriously withdrew. And winner will give €23.6 million of the €27 million tender to second place An Post. And even though Loc8 code offered a perfect post code for free…could a tender be any more corrupt?
He was fluent in bull shit long before he was handed his cushy number. Seems to be a prerequisite for being a FG TD though.
The question about being taught by a non native teacher was a bit odd seeing that the vast majority of school kids in Ireland are taught Irish, French, German etc by non native speaker teachers. In fact worldwide more than 80% of language teachers are not native speakers.
Is this lad a mature student or an intern? Seems like an expensive education at our expense. Btw the ersi report shows an increase of 18% in attitude, that’s not the small figure Enda was referring to, would someone ask some pertinent questions please.
A documentary on radio 1 showed how bad mc hugh is at irish, you don’t pick it up in a year. He only lives a few miles from the gaeltacht too.
Good for him. I applaud him learning and showing by example it can easily be done with hard work and determination besides moaning about him not been born into an Irish speaking family.
You learn Irish at school, or you would do if there was any competence around the subject. Handing out the portfolio like a treat has it this way, this lad seems to be on a personal journey, he’s a bloody Minister.
No comment.
another parasite.
“Minister Qualifies”
An educational achievement for Enda the Educator, pyrrhic for Enda the Taoiseach.
Tir gan teanga ……..
Tir gan eolas!
…agus tír gon anam. :(
I’d be surprise if Joe keeps his seat at next election. Donegal is going from 6 seats (2 x 3 seat constuitency) to a 5 seater (with chunk of South Donegal going into new “Sligo–Leitrim” constituency.
The fact that he was given job in first place was probably to rise his profile come the election, same can be said for Heather Humphries whose seat is also probably marginal.
Who gives a f**k, really.. This is not news
Perhaps he could visit the Aran Islands. He mightn’t learn many beannachtaí but would definitely get invaluable experience of mallachtaí, given his ridiculous decision to stop the Air Aran service. As they say McHugh Níl son tóin tinn mar do thóin tinn féin.
*aon*
Bye bye Joe
have your say