No focail Irish at county council meetings
There was a very mixed reaction to a call for Kildare County Council meetings to be conducted through the Irish language.
It came from newly elected Shóna Ní Raghallaigh, the newly elected Sinn Féin member of KCC.
Cllr Ní Raghallaigh said this would improve the use of Irish at meetings.
She told a KCC meeting that it would offer an opportunity to promote the language which is a “living, breathing element in our identity.”
She also said this would showcase the linguistic diversity of Kildare and “highlight a commitment to cultural development.”
There was some support from Fianna Fáil’s Naoise Ó Cearúil, who said the meeting could be bilingual “to ensure that people don’t feel discriminated against.”
But another FF councillor, Suzanne Doyle, said how the council functions is the most important priority.
“There is no purpose in me sitting at a meeting I don’t understand," said Cllr Doyle.
“If we exclude people we’ll lose hearts and minds,” she stated, adding that County Kildare is a multi-cultural environment.
Fine Gael’s Ivan Keatley said he would feel at a “serious disadvantage” if the meeting took place in Irish, adding “it would be seriously discriminatory.”
Cllr Noel Heavey said staging a full meeting in Irish would be “dodgy enough” because most councillors are not proficient in the language.
Social democrats politician Chris Pender said it would have to be recognised that some councillors don't speak the language and because he has dyslexia, he struggled with it.
KCC official Eoghan Ryan cautioned that there would be a “significant or some cost” to do this.
He noted that a national plan for Irish language public services is due to be published this autumn and it aims to provide public bodies with “a road map through which they can look to increase the number and quality of services through Irish, together with increasing their numbers of staff competent in the language.
It is a target to have a minimum of 20% of public service recruits proficient in the Irish language by 2030.
He said the councillor’s proposal is premature “until Irish language capacity improves.”
He added that extremely complex and technical matters are often debated and because decisions are made a “very high proficiency would be required in the interests of accuracy.”
He added that other councils, with significantly higher language capacities, such as many within Gaeltacht areas, do not conduct meetings in Irish.
Mr Ryan also said KCC is committed to using and promoting Irish and a recently appointed Gaeilge Officer “is actively and strategically increasing opportunities for the exposure, acquisition and use of Irish including the formation of a club within KCC “which provides a supportive, positive environment which fosters confidence and increases linguistic proficiency.”
Language courses will be facilitated within KCC prioritising “frontline staff staff in the areas of customer service and motor tax given the high volumes of customer interactions in these areas.”
Mr Ryan said there has been a significant increase in the use and visibility of Gaeilge on KCC’s social media platforms, press releases and advertising campaigns.
KCC’s chief executive Sonya Kavanagh said she would not have the proficiency to discuss a motion in Irish - despite doing honours Irish in Leaving Cert exams.