Irish not a priority for Gaeltacht teenagers

Only one in five Gaeltacht teenagers speak Irish to their friends on a regular basis – and almost two-thirds of them never use the language in their own home.

Those were among the findings in a report entitled “Stráitéis Óige don Ghaeltacht”, which was launched by the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Government Chief Whip, Joe McHugh, in Carna Community School on Monday.

Now Muintearas, an organisation based in Connemara and supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta, has set out a strategy – costed at over €600,000 per year – aimed at developing social facilities for young people in the Irish speaking areas.

Such facilities, it is claimed, would augment the language in community settings. Drop-in centres and youth clubs are at the centre of the policy which would require trained and paid personnel.

Muintearas CEO, Seán Ó Coisdealbha said that there was a particular challenge as regards youth services in Gaeltacht regions insofar as the language and its culture had to be passed on to future generations.

The State must bear this in mind to ensure that the Gaeltacht gets equality of funding, Mr Ó Coisdealbha said.

But afterwards, Minister McHugh said he could not give any commitment in regard to funding for the implementation of the strategy.

“I am not privy to what the Budget will contain”, the Minister said.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.