Gaeltacht scheme proves it pays to talk

by Máirtín Ó Catháin

You can’t normally put a price on friendship – and yet a new Government scheme has done just that….€250 tax-free for each of you, once you spend 30 hours together between August and December.

Oh, and you converse entirely in Irish.

Because that’s the deal if you want to improve your capacity to speak Irish in an area of the west Connemara Gaeltacht.

Those embarking on this trail of friendship and language will need to have a reasonable basic knowledge of Irish so as to benefit from the project.

The aim will be to bring them to a better conversational and communication level in the language.

To get that level a ‘friend’ – or ‘Gaelchara’ – will be needed; a native Irish speaker who will converse in the first official language with the learner.

The Gaelchara has the same deal on the table – social friendship for 30 hours from August to December for a fee of €250.

The Gaelchara project is being administered by Coiste Pleanála Teanga Chonamara Láir, one of a number of such committees set up across the Gaeltacht as part of the State’s 30 year Irish Language Strategy.

The area designated as Conamara Láir extends from Camus west through Ros Muc and Cill Chiaráin as far as Carna and from there north through Cashel and into Recess and Bun na gCnoc.

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