Gardaí need to go back to school to improve Irish proficiency

Gardaí in Galway’s Gaeltacht should have to take language refresher courses to improve their proficiency in Irish.

The call comes as new figures suggest that just half of Gardaí stationed in Gaeltacht areas across the country have a good command of the Irish language.

The Ireland edition of The Times reported statistics that show just over 50% of all Garda members in Gaeltacht areas obtained a mark of over 60% in language proficiency tests.

The online newspaper said some 486 Gardaí in stations in Galway, Kerry and Donegal were tested. Of these, just 239 achieved a score of 60% or lower in the test; eight received a mark of 40% or less.

Just 9% or 46 Gardaí obtained a mark of 81% or higher, which indicated they are fluent.

Connemara-based Sinn Féin senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh said he is concerned about the level of fluency right across state bodies, not just Gardaí.

“The figures are not surprising. But in fairness to the Gardaí, they are probably the best organisation in the State for the Irish language,” he said.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh added: “There was a ruling some years ago in Donegal, and since then Gardaí have moved to recruit people with Irish and to provide language classes to those stationed in Gaeltacht areas.

“There is a crisis in the rest of the civil and public service. For example, when teaching staff are excluded, just three per cent of the staff in the Department of Education have proficiency in the Irish language. That is an absolute indictment of Government policy. Especially when you have 20 year plans and strategy, and yet the department where you would expect Irish to be spoken, is failing to such an extent.

“I have been informed that there are difficulties with prosecutions in Derrynea Court in Casla, not because of the judge or solicitors, but because Gardaí do not have sufficient Irish to prosecute cases in the Irish language. That is worrying.

“Gardaí could do with more personnel who can speak Irish but they are the best of a bad lot in terms of the civil and public service,” said Senator Ó Clochartaigh.

He called for the return of Gaeleagras, a Gaeltacht-based Irish language training programme for civil and public servants, which was scrapped some years ago.