The Irish-Language Act being proposed by both nationalist parties and some language lobby groups is a blunt instrument and neither the North nor Irish needs any more blunt instruments. In truth, I doubt that the Irish speakers of west Belfast really need to write in Irish to Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew about their cattle grazing Black Mountain.
That said, the status quo will not suffice. Unionists may worry that Irish-language signs make Northern Ireland more like the Republic. Paradoxically, they also make it more like Wales. Discuss.
Well?
3 comments:
As neither as Irish language Act nor bill exists Ó Muirí's point does not stand.
One cannot comment of the nature of anything unless that thing has a nature.
"In truth, I doubt that the Irish speakers of west Belfast really need to write in Irish to Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew about their cattle grazing Black Mountain."
Quite true but irrelevent as this is hardly what many thousands of people went out marching for, more concerned were they with broadcasting and education me thinks.
"Unionists may worry that Irish-language signs make Northern Ireland more like the Republic. Paradoxically, they also make it more like Wales"
I dont that arguement would have much truck with unionists, many of whom I suspect would be in favour of suspressing Welsh on road signage in Wales.
It should be pointed out, in my opinion at least, that it is in the power of Conor Murphy to order the erection of bilingual signage, he has failed to do this.
I venture to agree with Ó Muirí, "the status quo will not suffice", but I would remind him that bilingual signage only appearr in Wales after over 400 people did jail time and the government made the simple economic calculation that it would actually cost them less to put up 'bilingual' signs than to continually replace them.
I would suggest therefore that the only way one will see Gaelic on directional road-sign in Northern Ireland is that if people are prepared to put it there and face the consequences as the Welsh did with relish.
I dont that arguement would have much truck with unionists, many of whom I suspect would be in favour of suspressing Welsh on road signage in Wales.
Some undoubtedly, others of us don't spontaneously combust whenever we cross the border or over the Irish sea and encounter the Queens English happily coexisting with the original languages of these isles.
The problem in NI which, from what I gather, doesn't exist to nearly the same extent in Wales (and Scotland) is that Gaelic has been caught up in a cultural war. In such a war, where statues of NZ presidents are removed, OO and GAA halls in the "wrong" places torched and where funding by our Lords and Masters in Stormont is granted on strictly "communal" (ie sectarian") grounds, then with Gaelic being so closely identified to one side of the community it "winning" a battle means the other side losing.
The Irish Language Act may give you the road-signage and the related superficialities you want, but long-term it won't guarantee the prospering of the language. That can be only done by widening its appeal- taking chances and moving it (and yourselves) beyond the comfort-zone it presently exists in.
"The Irish Language Act may give you the road-signage and the related superficialities you want, but long-term it won't guarantee the prospering of the language. That can be only done by widening its appeal- taking chances and moving it (and yourselves) beyond the comfort-zone it presently exists in."
I understand your point. I would point out that bilingual road signage is controversial everywhere and that for the speakers of the language whose understanding it is that the 'bilingualism' involved reflects great meaning and is thus not superficial.
I understand your point about widening the appeal, I think people are trying to do this but from an activists point of view I would state that half of the fluent Irish speakers in Northern Ireland do not use Irish as their venacular. It is on this demographic that all efforts must be focused, if this is successful then sure more time should be found to widen the appeal of Gaelic but alot of work is done on this area but is rarely well publicised.
One area that does get a bit of publicity is Colmcille, kinda like the Gaelic version of the Ulster-Scots agency. Alas, Minister Poots has discovered their existence and ensured that they will now simply be part of FnaG.
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