2 Réamhrá Introduction

8 Plé Ginearálta General Discussion

15 Trácht ar Thuairisc an Rialtais - Codanna I agus IIComments on the Government Report – Parts I and II

20 Feidhmiú na Cairte – Cuid IIIImplementation of the Charter – Part III

49 Aguisín: An Chairt Eorpach do Theangacha Réigiúnda nó MionlaighAppendix: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

1. RÉAMHRÁ

AN CHAIRT EORPACH DO THEANGACHARÉIGIÚNDA NÓ MIONLAIGH

I Mí an Mhárta 2001, dhaingnigh Rialtas naBreataine 36 foráil de chuid na Cairte, mar chursíos ar na bearta ba rún dó a dhéanamh chun anGhaeilge a chothú. Is Coinbhinsiún í an Chairt archuspóir di cosaint agus cothú a thabhairt dotheangacha reigiúnda nó mionlaigh. Tá dháphríomhchuid ann – i gCuid II cuirtear síos naprionsabail ghinearálta a bheadh mar dhúshraithag polasaí teanga, agus i gCuid III cuirtear síos arna bearta dearfa a bheidh dírithe ar chothú nadteangacha atá sonraithe. Nuair a shíníonn stát arbith an Chairt, luaíonn sé gach teanga atá leclúdach faoin Chairt agus luaíonn sé aon teangaacu siúd a thagann faoi Chuid III. (Baineann Cuid IIden Chairt le gach teanga a luaítear). Ar an ábharsin, sonraítear an Ghaeilge agus Albanais Uladhfaoi Chuid II den Chairt, ach baineann Cuid III denChairt leis an Ghaeilge amháin.

Tháinig an Chairt i bhfeidhm i dTuaisceart nahÉireann i Mí Iúil 2001. Déanann Comhairle nahEorpa monatóireacht ar an fheidhmiú trí mheánan Choiste Saineolaithe, dream a dhéanann scrúdúar na bearta a dhéanann na Stáit éagsúla marchomhlíonadh ar a gcuid gealltanas. Mar chuidden phróiseas seo, iarrtar ar na Stáit tuairiscthosaigh ar fheidhmiú na Cairte a chur i láthairbliain amháin i ndiaidh an túsdáta feidhmithe. Iséigean tuairiscí a chur i láthair gach trí bliana inadhiaidh sin. Chuir Rialtas na Breataine an chéadtuairisc ar an Chairt i láthair Chomhairle na hEorpaar an 1 Iúil 2002.

Os rud é go dtugann an Chairt ról monatóireachtado ghrúpaí neamhrialtasacha chomh maith, tá antuairisc seo ullmhaithe ag POBAL le cur i láthairChomhairle na hEorpa. Cuireann tuairiscs’againne pictiúr iomlán d’fheidhmiú na Cairte ileith na Gaeilge ar fáil agus tugann sí freagra ar antuairisc atá déanta ag Rialtas na Breataine. Tá síbunaithe ar thorthaí ár gcuid monatóireachta lelinn chéad bhliain na Cairte agus ar an eolas atáagainn faoi na fadhbanna laethúla a bhíonn ag nacainteoirí Gaeilge. Os scátheagras é POBAL,féadann sé tairbhe a bhaint as an eolas atá bailitheaige faoi thaithí gach Gaelghrúpa ar fudThuaisceart na hÉireann chun breithiúnas athabhairt ar na deacrachtaí atá sa bhealach agpobal s’againnne.

21. INTRODUCTION

THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FORREGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES

In March 2001 the British Government ratified 36provisions of the Charter, representing the actionsthey will take to promote the Irish language. TheCharter is a convention that is designed to protectand promote regional and minority languages. It isdivided into two substantive parts – in Part II, thegeneral principles that should inform languagepolicy are outlined and Part III consists of a rangeof concrete measures to promote the designatedlanguages. In signing up to the Charter, Statesspecify which language(s) are to be covered underthe Charter and which language(s) qualify forinclusion under Part III (Part II of the Charterapplies to all designated languages). Thus, Irishand Ulster-Scots are specified under Part II of theCharter, while Part III applies only to Irish.

The Charter came into effect in Northern Ireland inJuly 2001. Its implementation is monitored by theCouncil of Europe, through a Committee of Expertsthat examines the measures taken by participatingStates to fulfil their commitments under theCharter. As part of this procedure, States arerequired to submit an initial report onimplementation of the Charter one year after theCharter comes into effect. Subsequent reportsmust be presented at three yearly intervals. TheBritish government submitted their report on theCharter to the Council of Europe on 1st July 2002.

The Charter also makes provision for input fromnon-governmental language groups, in monitoringthe application of the Charter and POBAL hasprepared this report for submission to the Councilof Europe. Our report provides an overallassessment of the implementation of the Charterwith regard to the Irish language and offers aresponse to the British government’s report. It isbased on the results of our work on monitoring theimplementation of the Charter in its first year, aswell as our awareness of the issues faced by Irishspeakers on a daily basis. As an umbrellaorganisation, POBAL can draw on the experiencesof Irish language groups throughout the north ofIreland in commenting on issues of concern to theIrish speaking community.

AN GHAEILGE I dTUAISCEART NAhÉIREANN

De réir daonáirimh 1991, bhí 142,0031 duine idTuaisceart na hÉireann a raibh eolas éigin acu aran Ghaeilge. San fhigiúr seo bhí 79,012 a raibhlabhairt, léamh agus scríobh na teanga acu. Istoradh an líon mór seo ar iarrachtaí móraathbheochana a rinneadh sa dara leath denfhichiú céad. Tharla forbairtí i mBéal Feirste snacaogaidí agus sna seascaidí agus ba mhór antionchar a bhí acu ar an mhéadú spéise sa teangai gcathair Bhéal Feirste agus ar fud an Tuaiscirt. Gomall sna seascaidí agus go luath sna seachtóidítháinig roinnt lanúineacha Gaelacha le chéile agusiad ag iarraidh a gclann a thógáil le Gaeilge. Chuirsiad Gaeltacht uirbeach ar bun ar Bhóthar Seoighein Iarthar Bhéal Feirste. Chuir na tuismitheoirí seoan chéad bhunscoil Ghaeilge – Bunscoil PhobalFeirste – ar bun le taobh Bhóthar Seoighe. D’oscailan scoil sa bhliain 1971 agus 9 dalta ann. Bhí siadgan aon mhaoiniú Stáit, agus doicheall mór ag nahúdaráis oideachais rompu. Faoin bhliain 2002,bhí 24 bunscoil

2agus dhá mheánscoil

3san earnáil

Ghaeilge agus 2,177 dalta ag freastal orthu. Is imBéal Feirste agus i nDoire atá an dá mheánscoilsuite agus tá na bunscoileanna spréite ar fud na SéChontae ar fad.

Is rud lárthábhachtach é an t-oideachas tríGhaeilge chun fás ár bpobail i dTuaisceart nahÉireann a chur chun cinn. Chomh maith leis anfhás sa scolaíocht tharla fás fosta i dtionscnaimhchultúrtha, shóisialta agus gheilleagair. TáCultúrlann ann – Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich imBéal Feirste agus b’eiseamláir agus ba spreagadhí d’árais chultúrtha ar nós Gaeláras Dhoire agus TíChulainn in Ard Mhacha. Tá CompántasAmharclainne Aisling Ghéar ann agus an nuachtánGaeilge ‘Lá’, an bheirt acu lonnaithe i mBéalFeirste. Is in Iarthar Bhéal Feirste fosta atá POBALag obair, é mar scátheagras do ghrúpaí Gaeilgeagus don ghníomhaireacht fhorbartha ar a dtugtarForbairt Feirste.

3

THE IRISH LANGUAGE IN THE NORTHOF IRELAND

According to the 1991 Census, there were 142,0031

people in Northern Ireland with some knowledgeof the Irish language. This includes 79,012 peoplewho could speak, read and write Irish. The currentposition of the Irish language in the north ofIreland has resulted from a sustained revival effortduring the second half of the twentieth century.Developments in Belfast in the 1950s and 1960swere very influential in terms of the later growthof interest in Irish in the city and throughout thenorth of Ireland. In the late 1960s and early 1970s,a small number of Irish speaking couples whowished to raise their families through Irish,established an urban Gaeltacht on Bóthar Seoighe(Shaws Road) in West Belfast. These parents set upthe first Irish-medium primary school – BunscoilPhobal Feirste – just off Shaws Road. The schoolopened in 1971 with 9 pupils, without statefunding and in the face of considerable oppositionfrom the educational authorities. By 2002, therewere 24 primary schools2 and two second-levelschools3 in the Irish-medium sector, with some2,177 pupils. The two second-level schools arelocated in Belfast and Derry, while the primaryschools are located throughout the six counties ofthe north of Ireland.

The development of Irish-medium education hasbeen central to the growth of the Irish languagecommunity in the north of Ireland. This has beenaccompanied by the expansion of Irish languageinitiatives in the cultural, social and economicspheres. The Irish language cultural centre –Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich – in Belfast hasprovided a model for other cultural centres,including An Gaeláras in Derry and Tí Chulainn inArmagh. The Irish language theatre companyAisling Ghéar and the Irish language newspaper Láare both based in Belfast. West Belfast is also hometo POBAL, the umbrella organisation for Irishlanguage groups and to the Irish languagedevelopment agency Forbairt Feirste.

1The question asked whether persons aged 3 and over, could speak,read or write Irish. 2Schools must satisfy the Department ofEducation criteria in relation to pupil numbers in order to qualify forfunding and of the 24 schools, 15 schools had qualified for funding inthe school year 2001/2002. The remaining nine schools had notattained official recognition and were dependant on various sourcesof funding, including fund-raising by local communities. 3Four of theprimary schools and one post-primary school are attached to English-medium schools. All figures supplied by Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta.

1an cheist iarrtha an raibh daoine 3 bliain d’aois nó níos sine ábaltaan Ghaeilge a labhairt, a léamh agus a scríobh nó nach raibh.2Ní mórdo na scoileanna critéir na Roinne Oideachais a shásamh i dtaca le líonna ndaltaí atá acu chun maoiniú a fháil, agus de na 24 scoil, fuair 15díobh maoiniú sa scoilbhliain 2001/2002. Ní bhfuair na naoi scoil eileaitheantas oifigiúil agus bhí siad ag brath ar fhoinsí éagsúla maoinithe,an pobal ag tiomsú airgid san aireamh. 3Tá ceithre de nabunscoileanna agus iarbhunscoil amháin ceangailte le scoileannaBéarla. Tá na figiúirí go léir soláthraithe ag Comhairle naGaelscolaíochta.

POLASAÍ AN STÁIT FAOIN TEANGAGHAEILGE

Go hachomair, thiocfadh a rá gur léirigh an Státmeon a bhí anonn is anall idir an neamhspéis agusan doicheall i dtaca le fás phobal na Gaeilge. Is fiúa chuimhniú gur bagraíodh an dlí ar na teaghlaigha bhunaigh an chéad bhunscoil Ghaeilge i mBéalFeirste. Tugann seo léargas éigin ar dhearcadhoifigiúil na n-údarás ar an teanga ag an am sin.Sna blianta ó shin tháinig athrú éigin, maolú éiginar dhoicheall an rialtais roimh an Ghaeilge ach isgo fadálach a rinneadh an t-athrú dearcaidh sinsna tríocha bliain atá thart agus is féidir a rá goraibh amhras agus doicheall buan ann idir nagrúpaí Gaeilge agus an Stát i rith na tréimhse sin arfad.

Tharla eachtra shárchonspóideach amháin sabhliain 1990 nuair a baineadh an maoiniú siar óChoiste Iarthar Bhéal Feirste de Ghlór na nGael –eagraíocht a reáchtálann comórtas bliantúil uile-Éireannach a thugann duais don phobal áitiúil ismó a chothaigh an teanga. Níor tugadh míniúoifigiúil riamh ar an chinneadh seo agustuairimíodh go forleathan gur shampla é denpholasaí polaitiúil a bhí ar siúl ag an Rialtas i leithroinnt de na grúpaí pobail. Tuairimíonn ÓhAdhmaill4 gurbh í an fhíorchúis a bhí taobh thiarden rud seo ná cosc a chur ar neamhspleáchasghluaiseacht na Gaeilge. Tugadh ar ais an maoiniúsa deireadh de thairbhe agóidí ó ghrúpaí Gaeilgeagus ó ghrúpaí daoncheartacha. Ach is samplamaith é seo den chomhthéacs polaitiúil idTuaisceart na hÉireann agus den dóigh andeachaigh sé i bhfeidhm ar fhorbairt na teanga.

Sa tréimhse sular bunaíodh na nua-struchtúirpholaitiúla de bharr siniú Chomhaontú Aoine anChéasta (1998), tháinig maoiniú don Ghaeilge(taobh amuigh de mhaoiniú an oideachais) tríd anCentral Community Relations Unit (CCRU).Chonacthas do chuid de na grúpaí Gaeilge gurchuid é seo de pholasaí Rialtais chun nascbréagach a cruthú idir cúrsaí trasphobail agus anGhaeilge, in áit an teanga a mhaoiniú de réir a cirtféin. I dtuairisc a eisíodh i 19935, thuairimigh anCommittee on the Administration of Justice ‘Nícúspóir don CCRU é spéis sa Ghaeilge a chothú. Ismian leis ról na Gaeilge i dtraidisiúin chultúrthaThuaisceart na hÉireann a léiriú. Is follas mar sinnach bhfuil rún ar bith nó polasaí ar bith ag anRialtas i leith sochaí dhátheangach a chothú i

4STATE POLICY ON THE IRISHLANGUAGE

In general, the response of the State to the growthof the Irish language community has ranged fromindifference to opposition. For example, it is worthnoting that the families who founded the firstIrish-medium primary school in Belfast werethreatened with legal action by the authorities.This gives some indication of the official positionon the language at the time. More recently,government policy has displayed a more positiveapproach to the Irish language, but progress hasbeen relatively slow and for much of the past threedecades, the relationship between Irish languagegroups and the State has been marked bysuspicion and confrontation.

One particularly contentious episode was thewithdrawal of funding in 1990 from the WestBelfast Committee of Glór na nGael – anorganisation which runs an annual all-Irelandcompetition, at which an award is presented to thelocal community which has done most to promotethe Irish language. The official reason for thisdecision was never clearly explained and this waswidely viewed as an instance of the ‘politicalvetting’ policy pursued by the government inrelation to a number of community groups. ÓhAdhmaill4 suggests that the ‘…real reason for thevetting was to curb the independence of the Irishlanguage movement’. The funding wassubsequently restored following protests from Irishlanguage and human rights groups. However, thisprovides a good illustration of the impact of thepolitical context in the north of Ireland, on thedevelopment of the Irish language.

Prior to the establishment of the new politicalstructures, which followed the signing of the GoodFriday Agreement (1998), funding for Irishlanguage projects (other than in the area ofeducation) was provided through the CentralCommunity Relations Unit (CCRU). This was seen bysome Irish language groups as part of agovernment policy to make a contrived linkbetween cross-community relations issues and theIrish language, rather than funding the languagein its own right. In a report issued in 19935, theCommittee on the Administration of Justicecommented that ‘the objective (of CCRU) is not theencouraging of interest in Irish, but ratherdemonstrating the contribution of Irish to the

4Ó hAdhmaill, Féilim (1990) ‘The Political Vetting of Glór na nGael’ inThe Vetting of Community Work in Northern Ireland, NICVA.

5CAJ (1993) Staid agus Stádas na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart na hÉireann.

4Ó hAdhmaill, Féilim (1990) ‘The Political Vetting of Glór na nGael’ iThe Vetting of Community Work in Northern Ireland, NICVA.

5CAJ (1993) Staid agus Stádas na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart na hÉireann.

dTuaisceart na hÉireann.’ I gcuid de nameasúnachtaí a rinneadh ó shin ar pholasaíoifigiúil i leith na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart nahÉireann, déantar iomad tagairtí do nadúrleithchealach an pholasaí seo.

Tá tuairisc6 ann mar shampla a eisíodh i 1997 agCoiste na Náisiún Aontaithe do Chúrsaí Geilleagair,Sóisialta agus Cearta Cultúrtha, agus tuairimíonn símar a leanas :

‘Tugann an Coiste seo faoi deara nach cosúil gobhfaigheann an Ghaeilge i dTuaisceart na hÉireannan stádas agus an taca airgid céanna agus afhaigheann an Gàidhlig in Albain agus anBhreatnais sa Bhreatain Bheag agus is í ár dtuairimí nach bhfuil bunús inchosanta ar bith ann leis andifear seo’.

Agus i dtuairisc 20017 ar na bearta atá déanta saRíocht Aontaithe chun an Creatchoinbhinsiún umMhionlaigh Náisiúnta a chur i gcrích, deir an coistecomhairleach an méid seo "....tá scóip ann go fóillle tuilleadh cosanta a thabhairt domhionteangacha Thuaisceart na hÉireann, donGhaeilge go háirithe."

POBAL

Bunaíodh POBAL i 1998 agus bunchúspóir aigestiúir straitéiseach a thabhairt do na Gaelghrúpaíar fud Thuaisceart na hÉireann. Feidhmíonn sémar scátheagras do na grúpaí agus é ag obair chuncearta na nGaeilgeoirí a chothú agus chun tacaagus comhairle a thabhairt do na ballghrupaí. Cégur i mBéal Feirste atá sé lonnaithe tagannballghrupaí POBAL ó achan chontae sa tuaisceart.Réimse leathan grúpaí atá i gceist, scoileannalánGhaeilge, grúpaí cultúrtha, gníomhaireachtfhorbartha Ghaeilge agus na meáin. Is ar bhonndeonach a bhí POBAL sa chéad 2 bhliain oibre achina diaidh sin, i Mí Aibreáin 2001, fuair sébunmhaoiniú ó Fhoras na Gaeilge, comhlacht uile-Éireannach a bhfuil freagracht air i leith chothú nateanga.

5

cultural traditions of Northern Ireland. It is cleartherefore that the Government has no policy ofpromoting a bilingual society within NorthernIreland’.

More recent evaluations of official policy on theIrish language in the north of Ireland, alsohighlight the discriminatory nature of this policy.

Thus in a report6 issued in 1997, the UN Committeeon Economic, Social and Cultural Rights reachedthe following conclusion:

‘The Committee notes that the Irish language inNorthern Ireland does not appear to receive thesame degree of financial support and status asGaelic in Scotland and Welsh in Wales, andexpresses its view that such differentiation isunjustified’.

In addition, in their report (2001)7 on the measurestaken in the UK to give effect to the FrameworkConvention for the Protection of NationalMinorities, the advisory committee concludes that‘… there remains scope, in particular, for furtherimproving the protection of minority languages inNorthern Ireland, notably concerning the use ofIrish’.

POBAL

POBAL was founded in 1998, with the primaryobjective of providing strategic direction for Irishlanguage groups throughout the north of Ireland.It functions as an umbrella organisation for thesegroups, working to promote the rights of Irishspeakers and providing support and advice tomember groups. Although based in Belfast,POBAL’s member groups are drawn from the sixcounties of the north of Ireland. The membershipconsists of a wide range of groups, including Irish-medium schools, cultural groups, an economicdevelopment agency and the Irish language press.POBAL operated on a voluntary basis in its first 2years and was subsequently awarded core fundingby Foras na Gaeilge - the all-Ireland body withresponsibility for the promotion of the Irishlanguage - in April 2001.

6Comhairle Gheilleagrach agus Shóisialta na NA (1997) ConcludingObservations of the Committee on Economic, Social and CulturalRights, United Kingdom, (E/C.12/1/Add. 19).

7Comhairle Chomhairleach ar an Chreat-Choinbhinsiún um ChosaintMionlach Náisiúnta, Opinion on the United Kingdom, Samhain 2001.

6UN Economic and Social Council (1997) Concluding Observations ofthe Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, UnitedKingdom, E/C.12/1/Add. 19).

7Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for theProtection of National Minorities, Opinion on the United Kingdom,November 2001.

FORAS NA GAEILGE

Cuireadh an Foras Teanga thuaidh-theas seo arbun faoi Chomhaontú Aoine an Chéasta (1998). Tádhá ghníomhaireacht ann, ceann acu atáfreagrach as an Ghaeilge, (Foras na Gaeilge), agusan ceann eile freagrach as Albanais Uladh (ThàBoord o Ulster Scotch). Aistríodh cúraimí agusfeidhmiú Bhord na Gaeilge, (áisíneacht Gaeilge abhí ann roimhe sin i bPoblacht na hÉireann),aistríodh iad go Foras na Gaeilge i Nollaig 1999. Táan Foras freagrach as cothú na teanga ar dháthaobh na teorann, as an Ghaelscolaíocht, asspreagadh agus comhairle a thabhairt faoi úsáidna Gaeilge ar fud na sochaí, agus as croí-phleanáil.Is ceann de na príomhfhoinsí maoinithe é do naGaelghrúpaí.

Céim mhór chun cinn ba ea bunú an Fhorais uile-Éireannaigh seo agus ba mhór an spreagadh é dophobal na Gaeilge sa Tuaisceart. Ach bhífadhbanna ag an eagras sin ar dtús i gcúrsaíriaracháin de bharr a bheith ag iarraidh dul ingleic leis an chlár oibre nua. Dá thoradh sin táeaspa chinnteachta go fóill ann faoin chur chuigeatá aige i gcothú na teanga. Tá ceist ann fostafaoin bhuiséad atá ar fáil aige. 17.5m atá aige faoiláthair, ardú suntasach ar an 3.8m a bhí ann doBhord na Gaeilge, an eagraíocht óna dtáinig sé8.Ach caithfear a chur san áireamh gur leagadhcúraimí móra breise ar an fhoras nua go háirithecúrsaí na teanga sa Tuaisceart. Mar a dúirtiarchathaoirleach de chuid Bhord na Gaeilge ledéanaí9 ba chóir Foras na Gaeilge a mhaoiniú araon leibhéal le Comhairle na nEalaíon (Poblachtna hÉireann) a bhfuil buiséad 47m aige faoiláthair.

Osclaíodh oifigí Fhoras na Gaeilge go hoifigiúil goluath sa bhliain 2002 ach níor earcaíodh aonStiúrthóir dó i mBéal Feirste go fóill.

6FORAS NA GAEILGE

The North-South Language Body was establishedunder the Good Friday Agreement (1998). It ismade up of two agencies, one of which isresponsible for Irish (Foras na Gaeilge) and theother for Ulster-Scots (Thà Boord o Ulster Scotch).The role and functions of Bord na Gaeilge – theformer Irish language body in the Republic ofIreland – were transferred to Foras na Gaeilge inDecember 1999. Foras na Gaeilge is responsible forthe promotion of the Irish language on both sidesof the border. Its remit includes supporting Irish-medium education, encouraging and advising onthe use of Irish throughout society and corpusplanning. It is one of the principal sources offunding for Irish language groups.

The establishment of an all-Ireland body withresponsibility for the Irish language is a verywelcome development for the north’s Irishlanguage community. However, the organisationexperienced initial administrative difficulties inadapting to its new remit and there remains a lackof clarity about its overall approach to its languagepromotion role. A question must also be raisedabout the adequacy of the budget available toForas na Gaeilge. The current budget stands at217.5m, and this has increased from a budget ofapproximately 3.8m for Bord na Gaeilge, whichpreceded Foras na Gaeilge8 . However this increasemust be viewed in the context of the additionalresponsibilities assigned to the new languagepromotion body, including the extension of itsbrief to include the north of Ireland. A formerchairperson of Bord na Gaeilge argued recently9,that Foras na Gaeilge should be funded to acomparable level with the Arts Council (in theRepublic of Ireland) which currently has a budgetof 47m.

The Belfast offices of Foras na Gaeilge wereofficially opened earlier in 2002, while the newdirector in Belfast is yet to be recruited.

8Alt ag Conchubhar Ó Liatháin, LÁ, 27 Meitheamh 2002.

9Agallamh le Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, LÁ, 27 Meitheamh 2002.

8Article by Concubhar Ó Liatháin, Lá, 27 June 2002

9Interview with Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Lá, 27 June 2002

ROINN CULTÚIR, EALAÍON AGUSFÓILLÍOCHTA

Taobh istigh d’Fheidhmeannas ThuaisceartÉireann tugadh freagrachtaí i leith polasaí teangadon Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta (RCEF).Is ar RCEF atá feidhmchúram na Cairte go príomha.De réir na bprionsabal a moladh i gComhaontúAoine an Chéasta is é ceann de phríomhchuspóiríRCEF ‘cothú a dhéanamh ar mheas, thuiscint aguschaoinfhulaingt an phobail i leith éagsúlachtteanga’.10 Taobh istigh den Roinn tá an tAonadÉagsúlacht Teanga freagrach as an chuid seo denobair. Clúdaíonn seo forbairt pholasaí teanga donGhaeilge agus d’Albanais Uladh, do theangacha namionlach eitneach agus don teangachomharthaíochta.

7

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE, ARTS ANDLEISURE

Within the Northern Ireland Executive,responsibilities relating to language policy wereassigned to the Department of Culture, Arts andLeisure (DCAL). The lead responsibility in relationto implementation of the Charter lies with DCAL.Echoing the principles endorsed in the Good FridayAgreement, one of the key objectives of DCAL is ‘topromote respect, understanding and tolerance oflinguistic diversity’10 Within the Department, theLinguistic Diversity Unit is responsible for this areaof work. This involves the development oflanguage policy in relation to Irish and Ulster-Scots, as well as the ethnic minority languages andsign language.

10An Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta, Corporate Strategy2001- 2004.

10Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Corporate Strategy2001-2004

2. IMCHAINT GHINEARÁLTA

Tá roinnt ceisteanna ginearálta ann a thabhaíonnscrúdú géar ó Choiste Saineolaithe Chomhairle nahEorpa: stádas na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart nahÉireann; an dóigh inar daingníodh an Chairt;éifeacht an fheidhmithe go dtí seo.

PRÓISEAS DAINGNITHE NA CAIRTE

Cé gur fháiltigh muid go mór roimh dhaingniú naCairte Eorpaí i leith na Gaeilge, tá sé ina ábharimní go fóill an roghnú a rinneadh ar na forálachaa bhaineann leis an Ghaeilge i gCuid a Trí. Is léir óThuairisc Mhínithe na Cairte agus ón chéad tuairisca thug Rúnaí Ginearálta Chomhairle na hEorpa gurchóir forálacha Chuid a Trí den Chairt a roghnú ‘deréir staid gach teanga ar leith’. Léiríonn ionstraimdhaingnithe na Ríochta Aontaithe gur roghnaíodh36 paragraf don Ghaeilge, rud nach mó go mór náan t-íosmhéid (35 paragraf) a leagadh síos chundaingniú a dhéanamh ar an Chairt.

Ní amháin gur roghnaíodh a laghad agusab’fhéidir de na forálacha, ach i gcásanna áiritheroghnaíodh an leagan is laige a bhí ar fáil taobhistigh de na forálacha sin. I gcás Alt 8 den Chairt,mar shampla, feicimid nach bhfuil barántas arbith tugtha faoi sholáthar scolaíochta Gaeilge arachan leibhéal cionn is gur roghnaíodh an freastalab’ísle acu do chúrsaí oideachas na Gaeilge (feachpara. a-d). I láthair fhás buan na Gaelscolaíochta idTuaisceart na hÉireann ní léir ar chor ar bith cadchuige nach bhfuil sin san áireamh sna forálachaCairte ar glacadh leo don Ghaeilge? Mar a gcéannaatá an scéal i gcás úsáid na Gaeilge i gcúrsaíriaracháin (Feach Alt 10 den Chairt). Níl i gceist achseirbhís íosta do lucht a labhartha. Mar shampla,cé go bhfuil sé d’fhiacha ar na húdaráis riaracháinglacadh le comhfhreagras i nGaeilge, níl séd’fhiacha orthu freagraí a thabhairt sa teangachéanna. Is é dearcadh POBAL é gur fada é seo óntiomantas a rinneadh faoin Chairt chun anGhaeilge a chothú.

Tríd agus tríd léiríonn líon agus cineál nabhforálacha a roghnaíodh i dtaca leis an Ghaeilgei gCuid III den Chairt go bhfuil mana neamhfhialag an Ríocht Aontaithe i dtaca le leas na Gaeilge idTuaisceart na hÉireann. Aithníonn POBAL gurb éról an Choiste seo, Coiste Saineolaithe, feidhmiú nabhforálacha daingnithe a scrúdú. Ach san amchéanna iarraimid ar an Choiste amharc chomh

82. GENERAL DISCUSSION

There are a number of general issues relating tothe position of the Irish language in the north ofIreland and to the approach to the ratification ofthe Charter and its implementation to date whichare relevant to the work of the Council of EuropeCommittee of Experts.

CHARTER RATIFICATION PROCESS

While the ratification of the European Charter toapply to the Irish language is a very welcomedevelopment, the selection of provisions to applyto Irish under Part III of the Charter gives somecause for concern. It is clear, from both theExplanatory Report on the Charter and from thefirst report of the Secretary General of the Councilof Europe, that the provisions of Part III of theCharter should be selected ‘according to thesituation of each language’. The UK ratificationinstrument shows that a total of 36 paragraphshave been selected to apply to the Irish language,while States were required to select a minimum of35 paragraphs in order to ratify the Charter.

Apart from the minimal number of provisionsselected, in a number of cases the specificmeasures adopted for the Irish language are the‘weakest’ of the options available. Thus, in relationto Article 8 of the Charter, the provision of Irish-medium teaching at the various levels of theeducation system is not guaranteed, as the leastdefinitive of the available options in relation toeducational provision was chosen for the Irishlanguage (under paragraphs a-d). Given theongoing growth in Irish-medium education in thenorth of Ireland, it is not clear why this is not moreclosely reflected in the educational provisionsadopted for the Irish language in the Charter.Similarly, with regard to the use of Irish in theadministration (covered under Article 10 of theCharter), the measures selected to apply to Irishimply a minimal level of service for Irish speakers.For example, while the administrative authoritiesare required to accept correspondence in Irish, theState has not undertaken to provide replies in thesame language. It is POBAL’s view that this fallsshort of the commitment made under the Charterto actively promote the Irish language.

maith ar an rogha ghortach a rinneadh de naforálacha i gCuid III den Cháirt i láthair staid naGaeilge i dtuaisceart na hÉireann. Thairis seocreidimid gur chóir go mbeadh moltaí ann debharr an scrúdaithe seo, ag iarraidh ar an RíochtAontaithe forálacha breise a ghabháil i dtaca leisan Ghaeilge mar atá ceadaithe faoi Alt 3 denChairt.

Is eol do POBAL go dtuigeann Comhairle na hEorparól lárnach na ngrúpaí atá ag déanamhionadaíochta do chainteoirí na dteangacharéigiúnda nó mionlaigh i dtaca leis an Chairt, satréimhse roimh an daingniú agus ina dhiaidh,(mar a mhaítear ar an líonláithreán don Chairt –www.coe.int). Feictear do phobal na Gaeilge gurtharla roghnú na bhforálacha do Chuid III denChairt don Ghaeilge gan go leor idirchomhairle. Isfíor gur chuir an Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta ciorclán chuig na grúpaí Gaeilge roimhan daingniú, ciorclán ina raibh liosta de mholtaífaoin Chairt i dtaca leis an Ghaeilge, ach sin a raibhann. Bhí an idirchomhairle scallta agus teoranta.Is cruthúnas é seo ar an dóigh ar theip ar nahúdaráis mana páirtíochta a léiriú i dtaca ledaingniú agus feidhmiú na Cairte.

DÁTHEANGACHAS GAEILGE/BÉARLA

Tugann POBAL faoi deara go bhfuil sé luaite ag anChoiste sna tuairiscí atá déanta go dtí seo godtarlaíonn deacrachtaí go minic nuair a bhíonndátheangachas i gceist, is é sin nuair a bhíonnlucht na dteangacha mionlaigh líofa i dteanga anmhórlaigh chomh maith. Sna tuairiscí faoinUngáir agus faoin Fhionlainn mar shampla, is léirdon Choiste go bhfuil contúirt ann go n-amharcfarar lucht na dteangacha mionlaigh mar chrá croínuair a éilíonn siad cearta a dteanga féin sachumarsáid leis an Stát. Tuairimíonn an Coiste gobhfuil gá le freastal ceart don am i láthair aguspleanáil mhaith don todhchaí chun a chinntiú gon-amharcfar ar úsáid na mionteangacha marcheart agus nach n-amharcfar orthu mar churisteach ar an status quo.

Baineann na tuairimí seo go dlúth le scéal naGaeilge i dTuaisceart na hÉireann, áit a bhfuilcumas sa Bhéarla ag gach duine den daonradúchais. Is iomaí uair a nocht na hoifigigh snahúdaráis phoiblí agus ar fud na sochaí goginearálta an tuairim nach bhfuil aon cheart ag

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In general, the number and nature of theprovisions selected to apply to Irish, under Part IIIof the Charter, indicate a minimalist approach bythe UK to the promotion of the Irish language inthe north of Ireland. While POBAL recognizes thatthe Committee’s role is to examine theimplementation of the Charter provisions, asratified, we would urge the Committee to considerthe appropriateness of the existing provisions ofPart III of the Charter, to the situation of the Irishlanguage in the north of Ireland. Further to this,we believe that the recommendations arising fromthis examination should include a call for the UKto adopt additional provisions to apply to Irish, asprovided for under Article 3 of the Charter.

POBAL notes that the Council of Europe viewsgroups representing the speakers of regional orminority languages as having a central role inrelation to the Charter, both prior to and afterratification (as outlined on the web page on theCharter – www.coe.int). It appears to the Irishlanguage community that the selection of theprovisions of Part III of the Charter for the Irishlanguage, took place without adequateconsultation. While the Department of Culture,Arts and Leisure circulated an outline of proposalsregarding the Charter to Irish language groupsprior to the signing of the Charter, the level ofconsultation was very limited. This reflects thegeneral failure of the authorities to adopt apartnership approach to the ratification andsubsequent implementation of the Charter.

IRISH/ENGLISH BILINGUALISM

POBAL notes that in its reports to date, theCommittee has recognised the difficulties that mayarise in situations of ‘diglossia’, where minoritylanguage speakers are also fluent in the majoritylanguage. Thus for example, in its reports onHungary and Finland, the committee hascommented on the potential that minoritylanguage speakers are viewed as ‘trouble-makers’when attempting to claim their language rights, intheir contacts with the State. The committee hasargued that in order to ensure the rights ofminority language speakers, there is a need forcomprehensive provision and forward planning sothat the use of the minority language is facilitatedas a right, rather than being viewed as a disruptionof ‘normal’ procedures.

lucht na Gaeilge, atá líofa sa Bhéarla, úsáid naGaeilge a iarraidh. Mar shampla, nuair a chuirPOBAL ceist ar Chomhairle Ceantair amháin faoichúrsaí na Cairte, dúradh sa fhreagra an méid seo:‘…i láthair na huaire níl aon socruithe seastaagainn le freastal ar lucht na dteangacha réigiúndaach déanfaidh an Chomhairle socrú ar leith donaistriúchán nuair a bhíonn seo riachtanach dochúrsaí cumarsáide, is é sin nuair nach mbíonnBéarla ag an duine aonair nó nuair a bhíonn cistecumarsáide de chineál éigin air.’ Mar a gcéanna,má amharctar ar shampla beag de na ScéimeannaCothromais a tháinig amach faoin reachtaíochtchothromais (Rannóg 75, Acht Thuaisceart nahÉireann) is léir gurb é an cur chuige is coitianta igcúrsaí teanga ná go n-aistreofar téacs nascéimeanna isteach i dteanga eile ‘do na daoinesin nach é an Béarla an chéad teanga acu’ nó ‘ dona daoine nach bhfuil Béarla líofa acu’. Chuigeseo, sonraíonn cuid de na scéimeanna go bhfuil ant-eolas ar fáil fosta i bhformáidí teanga mionlaigh,má iarrtar sin. Tuigimid ar ndóigh gurb éigean achinntiú nach mbeidh an dóigh a gcuirtear naseirbhísí poiblí i bhfeidhm ina constaic ar ghrúpaíáirithe daoine ar nós chainteoirí na dteangachaeitneacha nach bhfuil líofa sa Bhéarla. Ach mar adeirtear sa Chairt agus i gComhaontú Aoine anChéasta agus sa reachtaíocht idirnáisiúinta bachóir bearta dearfa a dhéanamh fosta chunteangacha dúchais a chosaint agus a chothú. Bachóir go dtuigfeadh an Coiste go bhfuil úsáid naGaeilge i gcuid mhór comhthéacs ina chuidnádúrtha den chumarsáid leis an Stát ach nachbhfuil sin aitheanta ag an Stát. Is é sin go n-amharcann an Stát ar an rud uilig mar lomcheistchumarsáide. Is léir sin sa pholasaí agus sachleachtas oifigiúil.

REACHTAÍOCHT INTÍRE

I dtuairisc an Choiste faoi fheidhmiú na Cairte iStáit eile leagtar béim mhór ar an chreatlachreachtaíochta a bhaineann le teangacha réigiúndaagus mionlaigh. I dTuaisceart na hÉireann tugtaraitheantas oifigiúil don Ghaeilge i gComhaontúAoine an Chéasta, mar a bhfuil cuid mhórtiomantas ann i dtaca le cothú na teanga.Déanann na tiomantais seo tagairt ar leith do naprionsabail atá leagtha amach i gCuid II den Chairt(Féach Aguisín). Ach níl aon fhorálacha dlíthiúlasoiléire ann maidir le húsáid na teanga sa saolpoiblí.

10These observations are also relevant to theposition of the Irish language in the north ofIreland, where competence in English is universal(among the indigenous population). The view thatthe right to use the Irish language in variouscontexts is invalid for those who are also fluent inEnglish is commonly expressed by officials inpublic bodies and throughout society in general.For example, in response to POBAL’s enquiriesregarding the Charter, one District Council statedthat ‘… there are at this time no specific measuresin place to meet the demands of users of regionallanguages. However … the Council does makearrangements for translation where this is requiredfor access purposes, that is where an individual isunable to understand English or where they sufferfrom some form of sensory impairment’. Similarly,a review of a small sample of the Equality Schemesproduced under the equality legislation (Section 75of the Northern Ireland Act) shows that the mostcommon approach to language issues is thatinformation on the schemes will be translated intoother languages ‘…for those whose first languageis not English’ or ‘… for those not fluent inEnglish’. Thus, a number of the schemes specifythat information will be made available in ‘ethnicminority language formats’. Clearly, there is a needto ensure that the manner in which public servicesare delivered does not constitute a barrier forcertain groups of people, such as speakers ofethnic minority languages who are not fluent inEnglish. However, as outlined in the Charter, in theGood Friday Agreement and in internationallegislation, specific measures must also be taken toprotect and promote indigenous languages. Thecommittee should be aware of the fact that in awide variety of contexts, the use of the Irishlanguage as a ‘natural’ feature of interaction withthe State has not been established and thatlanguage issues are frequently treated as issues of‘access’ in official policy and practice.

DOMESTIC LEGISLATION

In the Committee’s reports on the application ofthe Charter in other States, there is considerableemphasis on the legislative framework relating toregional or minority languages. In the north ofIreland, Irish is afforded official recognition in theGood Friday Agreement, which includes a numberof commitments to promote the Irish language.These commitments make specific reference to the

I dtuairisc mhínithe na Cairte deirtear nach féidir ía chomhlíonadh gan reachtaíocht intíre athabhairt isteach chun éifeacht dhlíthiúil athabhairt do na forálacha a roghnaíodh (Para. 11).Taobh amuigh den ordú reachtúil a bhaineann leisan Ghaelscolaíocht ní dhearnadh aon ghníomh lehéifeacht dhlíthiúil a thabhairt do na tiomantaisatá sa Chairt agus i gComhaontú Aoine an Chéasta.Agus é ag caint faoi seo le déanaí dúirt Fernand deVarennes (2001) ‘gurb ionann buanmhoilliú nareachtaíochta agus sárú a dhéanamh ar natiomantais dhlithiúla a rinne an Ríocht Aontaithemaidir le húsáid na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart nahÉireann.

Tuairimíonn POBAL gur sarú ar fhorálachana cairte é an mhoill seo atá a déanamh arreáchtáil na reachtaíochta a thionscnamhagus d’iarrfadh muid ar an Choiste moltaísoiléire a chur in iúl don Stát faoinadhualgais san ábhar seo.

DEARCADH GINEARÁLTA I LEITHFHEIDHMIÚ NA CAIRTE

Mar a dúradh cheana, creideann POBAL nach leoran ionstraim reachtaíochta a shocraigh an RíochtAontaithe don Ghaeilge, nach leor sin chun neartagus beocht phobal na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart nahÉireann a thaispeáint. Dá bharr sin, tá teipthe arna húdaráis chuí sa Tuaisceart (go háirithe anRoinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta) dul i mbunidirchomhairle cuí leis na grúpaí Gaeilge roimhshíniú na Cairte agus i ndiaidh a daingnithe. Goginearálta táispeánann an chéad bhliaind’fheidhmiú na Cairte nach bhfuil ar siúl ag nahúdaráis ach lagiarrachtaí agus dícheall bréige.

Is léir dúinn ó na teagmhálacha a rinne muid leforais poiblí áirithe nár scaipeadh eolas faoinChairt chuig na heagraíochtaí cuí uilig. I dtaca leisan fhreastal ar chúrsaí cultúir agus ealaíne, marshampla, atá clúdaithe faoi Alt 12 den Chairt, deirComhairle na nEalaíon nach bhfuair siad aon treoirnó eolas ar an Chairt ón Roinn Cultúir Ealaíon agusFóillíochta (faoi Aibréan 2002) agus ó tharla muidag fanacht le fada le freagra ón Bhord Oideachaisagus Leabharlainne is cosúil go mbaineann seo leisan chóras leabharlainne chomh maith. Tuigeannmuid ó na teagmhálacha a rinne muid leis naComhairlí Ceantair fosta nach bhfuair siadsan eolasnó treoir oifigiúil faoin Chairt (cé go bhfuil cúraimína gComhairlí sin faoin Chairt soiléir anois).

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principles outlined in Part II of the Charter.However, there are no concrete legal provisionsrelating to the use of the Irish language in publiclife.

In the explanatory report on the Charter, it isstated that compliance with the Charter requiresthe introduction of domestic legislation to giveeffect to the various provisions selected (paragraph11). Apart from the introduction of a statutoryorder that relates to Irish-medium education, noaction has been taken to give legislative effect tothe undertakings in either the Good FridayAgreement or the Charter. In a recent comment onthis, de Varennes (2001) notes that ‘continuingdelays in adopting legislation … constituteviolations of the legal commitments made by theUnited Kingdom in relation to the use of the Irishlanguage in Northern Ireland’.

POBAL considers the failure to introducelegislation to give effect to the Charterprovisions to be a breach of the Chartercommitments, and would urge theCommittee to make clear recommendationson the obligations of the state in this regard.

GENERAL APPROACH TOIMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHARTER

As noted earlier, POBAL believes that theratification instrument submitted by the UK withrespect to the Irish language, does not adequatelyreflect the strength and vitality of the Irishlanguage community in the north of Ireland. Inaddition, the relevant authorities in the North(principally the Department of Culture, Arts andLeisure) failed to engage in adequate consultationwith Irish language groups prior to the signing andratification of the Charter. In general, the lack of apositive approach to the Charter has continued tocharacterise its implementation in this first year.

Our contacts with various public bodies indicatethat information on the Charter has not beencirculated to all of the relevant organisations. Thusfor example in relation to cultural and artsprovision which is covered under Article 12 of theCharter, the Arts Council indicated that they hadnot received any information or guidance on theCharter from DCAL by April 2002 and the delay inresponse from the Education and Library Boardssuggests that this also applies to the library service.

Tá an mhoill chéanna fosta ar scaipeadhchríochleagan na dtreoracha faoi fheidhmiú nacairte chuig na forais phoiblí chuí uilig. Tá teipthear Ghrúpa Idir-rannach na Cairte cheana cloí leroinnt de na spriocanna ama d’fhoilsiú nadtreoracha seo, agus níl siad ar fáil fós. Léiríonn nafíricí seo an córas íosmhéideachais atá ar siúl ibhfeidhmiú na Cairte, rud atá as réir le spiorad naCairte agus leis an ghá le comhar dearfa i gcothúna Gaeilge. Airítear an dearcadh seo fosta maidirleis na rannóga sin den Chairt ar ‘rudaíforchoiméadta’ iad atá fós faoi chúram Rialtas naBreataine, rudaí ar nós chúrsaí craolacháin. Marshampla de seo, fuair muid litir ón Roinn Cultúir,Meán agus Spóirt11 le rá gur leor leis faoi láthair anméid atá á chraoladh ag BBC Thuaisceart nahÉireann le feidhmiú a dhéanamh ar an Chairt.

Creideann POBAL go n-iarrann naprionsabail atá i gCuid II den Chairtgníomhfhreagra níos dearfa ná sin agus gurchóir iarraidh ar na comhlachtaí poiblífreastal breise a thabhairt do phobal naGaeilge in áit a bheith ag maíomh gur leor igcomhair fheidhmiú na Cairte an solátharatá a dhéanamh acu cheana.

RÓL NA ROINNE CULTÚIR EALAÍONAGUS FÓILLÍOCHTA (RCEF)

Os rud é go bhfuil ról lárnach ag an RCEF is fiúamharc go mion ar pholasaí agus chleachtas naroinne seo.

Pléadh polasaí teanga taobh istigh den RCEF nuaira chuir POBAL agallamh ar cheannaire an AonadÉagsúlacht Teanga mar bheart taighde. Nocht séseo go bhfuil cúlra polaitiúil an Tuaiscirt inafhadhb mhór ag an Aonad seo. Mar shampla, dúirtan Stiúrthoir, Pat McAlister, go raibh sé deacairteacht ar phlean comhaontaithe d’fheidhmiú naCairte ceann is go mbíonn ranna riaracháin áiritheag cur ina éadan. Dúirt sí go gcuireann an manadoicheallach seo isteach go mór ar an obair agussíleann sí nach bhfuil de rogha ann ach bheithsásta dul chun cinn a dhéanamh de réir a chéileagus taca agus dea-thoil a mhealladh ar an dóighsin ó lucht na rann uilig. Dúirt sí fosta nach bhfuilsé cothrom bheith ag déanamh comparáide idirstaid na dteangacha mionlaigh eile sa RíochtAontaithe gan aird a thabhairt ar na fadhbannapolaitiúla atá againn anseo agus ar an dóigh adtéann siad i bhfeidhm ar pholasaí teanga.

12Our initial contacts with District Councils alsorevealed that they had not received information orofficial guidance on the Charter by February 2002(although, the Councils have since been informedof their responsibilities under the Charter).

There has also been a prolonged delay in issuingfinalised guidance to all relevant public bodies onthe implementation of the Charter. TheInterdepartmental Charter Group has failed toreach a number of earlier deadlines for thepublication of these guidelines, which are not yetavailable. This would seem to reflect a minimalistapproach to the implementation of the Charter,which is at variance with the spirit of the Charterand with the need for ‘resolute action’ to promotethe Irish language. This approach can also be seenwith regard to sections of the Charter that are‘reserved matters’ and remain the responsibility ofthe British Government, such as broadcasting.Thus, for example the Department of Culture,Media and Sport has indicated11 that it considersthat the Charter commitments on Irish languagebroadcasting are fulfilled by virtue of the currentextremely limited Irish language provision, by BBCNorthern Ireland.

POBAL believes that the principles outlinedin Part II of the Charter demand a muchmore positive response and that publicbodies must be called on to enhanceprovision for Irish speakers, rather thanviewing the Charter commitments as basedon existing provision.

ROLE OF DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE,ARTS AND LEISURE (DCAL)

Given that DCAL has a lead role in theimplementation of the Charter, it is worthconsidering its policy and practice in some detail.

The approach to language policy within DCAL wasdiscussed in the course of an interview with theHead of the Linguistic Diversity Unit, for a researchproject conducted by POBAL. This illustrated thatthe overall context in which language policyoperates in the north of Ireland constitutes aspecific challenge for the Unit. For example, thedirector, Pat McAlister, reported that efforts toarrive at an agreed framework for theimplementation of the Charter commitments hadmet with opposition from some sectors of the

11Litreacha chuig POBAL ó Tessa Jowell MP, Rúnaí Stáit, RoinnCultúir, Meán agus Spóirt. 18ú Aibreán agus 29ú Bealtaine 2002.

11Letters to POBAL, from Tessa Jowell MP, Secretary of State,Department of Culture, Media and Sport – 18th April and 29th May2002.

Is léir go dtéann an mana oifigiúil seo i bhfeidhmar úsáid na Gaeilge taobh istigh den RCEF. Cé gobhfuil ról lárnach ag RCEF i bhfeidhmiú na cairteagus i bpolasaí teanga go ginearálta, is mór andíoma é gur chinn sí cur chuige íosmhéideachais idtaca le cothú na teanga taobh istigh den Roinn.Dá thoradh sin, mar a taispeánadh i gCuid a 4 dentuairisc seo tá polasaithe i bhfad níos cuimsithíforbartha ag ranna eile san Fheidhmeannas maidirle foilsiú ábhar dátheangach agus maidir lecomhfhreagras i nGaeilge.

Ó tharla gan taithí ar bith ag riarthóirí Thuaisceartna hÉireann ar chúram na Gaeilge, nó ar chúramteanga ar bith eile, chuir an Roinn Cultúir Ealaíonagus Fóillíochta tús le feachtas taighde mar threoirdi féin i gcumadh polasaí. I gcás na Gaeilge,ordaíodh beart taighde a bheadh bunaithe aridirchomhairle le grúpaí teanga, le lucht solátharseirbhísí agus leis an phobal mhór. Baineadhúsáid as fócasghrúpaí, as agallaimh aonair agus assuirbhéanna gearra cainníochtúla i measc daoinefásta ar fud an Tuaiscirt le fáil amach cá mhéadagus cén cineál seirbhísí trí mheán na Gaeilge abhí á n-iarraidh ar na comhlachtaí poiblí. De réirtorthaí an taighde seo12, tá éagsúlacht mhórtuairimí ann faoin chéist: dream ag iarraidhcomhstádas leis an Bhéarla, dream a bheadh sástale taca níos teoranta ná sin i gcothú na Gaeilge,agus dream eile glan in éadan aon mhaoiniú poiblídon teanga. Léirigh an tuairisc go bhfuil tromlachna ndaoine i leith seirbhísí Gaeilge a chur ar fáil agan Stát mar fhreagra ar éileamh ar leith agus igcomhthéacsanna ar leith. (mar shampla,comharthaíocht dhátheangach a thabhairt isteachin áiteanna atá fabhrach don teanga de ghnáth).Ach ba léir fosta go raibh cuid mhór daoine inéadan aon bheart leis an Ghaeilge a chothú.

Ach taispeánann an cur chuige a bhí taobh thiarden taighde seo nach bhfuil aon tiomantas ag anRoinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta a bheithtúsbheartach i gcothú na teanga. Agus is cúis imnído POBAL é sin. Ní ghlacann muid leis gur chóirpolasaí ar bith a bhunú don Ghaeilge a bheadh agbrath ar dhearcadh daoine atá in éadan solátharStáit ar bith a sholáthar do na Gaeilgeoirí. Isaisteach ar fad linn go dtabharfadh aon bhearttaighde den chineál seo aitheantas do dhaoine atánaimhdeach don teanga, claon in éadán naGaeilge. Os rud é go n-iarrann an Chairt ar na Stáitcomhthuiscint a chothú idir grúpaí teanga uilig natíre, creideann POBAL gur theip glan ar an Roinndúshlán naimhde na teanga a thabhairt.

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administration. She emphasised that their work iscontinually influenced by these issues andexpressed the belief that it was necessary to adopta measured approach to introducing change, inorder to build support and goodwill. Furthermore,she suggested that comparisons with otherminority language situations in the UK frequentlypaid insufficient attention to differences inpolitical context and to the impact of this onlanguage policy making.

This approach to language policy is reflected inpractice within DCAL in relation to the use of Irish.While DCAL has a lead role in relation to theimplementation of the Charter and to languagepolicy in general, it is disappointing to note that ithas adopted quite a minimalist approach to thepromotion of the Irish language, within thedepartment. Thus, as outlined in section 4 of thisreport, other Executive departments havedeveloped more comprehensive policies withregard to the publication of bilingual materialsand to responding to correspondence in Irish.

Responsibilities in relation to the Irish language(and languages in general), represented a newpolicy area for the Northern Irelandadministration and DCAL has initiated a researchprogramme to inform its policy. In the case of theIrish language, a research project wascommissioned which involved consultation withlanguage groups, service providers and the generalpublic. The level and nature of demand for theprovision of service through Irish by public bodieswas examined by conducting focus groups,individual interviews and a short quantitativesurvey of adults throughout the north of Ireland.The research report12 outlines the broad spectrumof views on the provision of services through Irish,ranging from a demand for parity with English,through support for more limited measures topromote the use of Irish to opposition to anypublicly funded support for the language. Theresults show that the proposal that the Stateshould provide service through Irish in response tospecific requests and in particular contexts (e.g theintroduction of bilingual signage in areas whereattitudes towards the language are generallyfavourable), attracted most support amongrespondents. However, there was also substantialopposition to measures to promote the Irishlanguage.

POBAL is concerned that the overall approach

12Dunn Seamus et al, (2001) Establishing the demand for Servicesand Activities in the Irish Language in Northern Ireland, TuairiscTaighde Uimhir 1, Ionad Polasaí, Measúnaíochta agus Taighde (DCAL).

12Dunn Seamus et al, (2001) Establishing the demand for Servicesand Activities in the Irish Language in Northern Ireland, ResearchReport No. 1, Policy, Evaluation and Research Unit (DCAL).

Ar leibhéal níos ginearálta is éigean a rá fosta náréirigh leis an Roinn idirdhealú a dhéanamh idiréagsúlacht chultúrtha agus éagsúlacht teanga.Agus aon iarrachtaí a rinneadh chun caiteachas naRoinne ar an dá réimse seo a shoiléiriú, bhí siadfánach. Gan na cúrsaí sin a bheith soiléir is deacaira rá cad é an dul chun cinn atá déanta ar sholáthardon Ghaeilge, má tá dul chun cinn déanta ar chorar bith.

De bhreis ar sin, ní dhearna an Roinn aonidirdhealú idir lucht na teanga dúchais agus luchtna mionlach eitneach. Os rud é go ndéanann anCháirt idirdhealú soiléir idir teangacha dúchaisagus teangacha eitneacha mionlaigh deir sé nachmbaineann an Chairt le scéal na dteangachanuathagtha, teangacha neamh-Eorpacha i gcuidmhór cásanna, atá i ndiaidh nochtadh de thoradhimirce a tharla le déanaí sna stáit a shínigh anchairt. Is léir nach ndearna an polasaí oifigiúil cásan dá dhream seo a scaradh óna chéile agus ar anábhar sin ní aithníonn sé an chosaint speisialta atáag dul don Ghaeilge mar theanga dhúchais.

14taken in conducting this research reflects a lack ofcommitment on the part of DCAL, to take a pro-active approach to promoting the Irish language.We would question the validity of basing policy inrelation to the Irish language on research thatincludes the views of those who are stronglyopposed to any public provision for Irish speakers.This would seem at the least to be an unorthodoxapproach, which gives credence to the opinions ofthose who are prejudiced towards the language.Given that the Charter commits States to promote‘… mutual understanding between all thelinguistic groups of the country’, POBAL believesthat DCAL has failed to challenge such prejudice.

In general, the distinction between ‘culturaldiversity’ and ‘linguistic diversity’ does not appearto have been adequately defined by DCAL.Attempts to obtain clarification on DCAL spendingon these two different areas have provedunsuccessful. Without clarity on such issues, it isdifficult to assess what progress, if any, is beingmade in relation to provision for the Irishlanguage.

In addition, the situation of indigenous languagesand of ethnic minority languages has not beenadequately reflected in DCAL’s approach tolanguage policy. Given that the Charter makes aclear distinction between indigenous languagesand ethnic minority languages – where it is statedthat ‘the Charter does not deal with the situationof new, often non-European languages which mayhave appeared in the signatory states as result ofrecent migration flows …’, it should be noted thatofficial policy has tended to blur this distinction,and to fail to acknowledge the specific protectionwhich is due to the Irish language, as anindigenous language.

3. TRÁCHT POBAL FAOI THUAIRISCAN RIALTAIS – CODANNA I AGUS II

Rianaíonn an mhír seo freagra POBAL ar thuairiscRialtas na Breataine13 faoi Chodanna 1 agus 2 denCháirt. I mír a 4 rianaítear freagra s’againne ar antuairisc oifigiúil ar fheidhmniú Chuid III denChairt.

CUID I

Leathanach 5 - Aithnítear Comhaontú Aoine anChéasta (Béal Feirste) (1998) mar chuid bhunúsachden chreatlach reachtaíochta do na teangacha idTuaisceart na hÉireann. Aithníonn anComhaontú seo scéal ar leith na teanga Gaeilgeagus déanann sé tagairtí soiléire do na bearta adhéanfar chun í a chothú. Ach tá an chuid is móde na forálacha atá sa ráiteas mór seo faoi stádasna Gaeilge gan cur i bhfeidhm fós.

Seo thíos na forálacha:

‘….déanfaidh Rialtas na Breataine go háirithe indáil leis an Ghaeilge, más cuí agus más mian ledaoine amhlaidh:

• gníomh diongbháilte chun an teanga a chur chuncinn

Riamh anall ón lá a síníodh an Comhaontú nílpolasaí oifigiúil an Rialtais i leith na Gaeilge baolar bheith ina ghníomh ‘diongbháilte’ i leith nateanga. Mar a léiríodh cheana i gcuid 2 denaighneacht seo, is cosúil go raibh an mana "Blas aran bheagán" ag na húdaráis chuí i leith na Cairte,ó thaobh an ionstraim dhaingnithe agus ó thaobhphróiseas an fheidhmithe chomh maith. Léireofarseo go mionsonrach i gcomhthéacs an phlé faoifheidhmiú Chuid III den Chairt.

• Úsáid na teanga a éascú agus a spreagadh sa chaintagus i scríbhneoireacht sa saol príobháideach agussa saol poiblí mar a mbeidh éileamh cuí uirthi

Ní dhearnadh aon iarracht chuimsitheach lehúsáid na Gaeilge sa labhairt agus sascríbhneoireacht a chur chun cinn ar fud nasochaí. Mar shampla, taobh istigh denchóras riaracháin tá úsáid na Gaeilge go fóillar bhonn iontach teoranta agus tá constaicímóra ann ar fad in éadan úsáid na Gaeilge idTionól an Tuaiscirt. (Tuilleadh sonraí faoi

15

3. COMMENTS ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT – PARTS I AND II

This section outlines POBAL’s response to theBritish government report13, relating to Parts I andII of the Charter. Our response to the official reporton the implementation of Part III of the Charter, isoutlined in section 4.

PART I

Page 5. – The Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement(1998) is identified as part of the legislativeframework relating to languages in NorthernIreland. The Agreement recognises the specialposition of the Irish language and makes specificreference to the measures which will be taken topromote it. However, most of the provisions of thiskey statement on the status of the Irish language,have not as yet been implemented.

The undertakings are as follows:

‘… the British Government will in particular inrelation to the Irish language, whereappropriate and where people so desire it:

• take resolute action to promote the language

Official policy towards the Irish language since thesigning of the Agreement, falls far short of‘resolute’ action in support of the language. Asalready outlined in section 2, the relevantauthorities have demonstrated a minimalistapproach to the Charter, both in regard to theratification instrument and its subsequentimplementation. This will be illustrated in moredetail in relation to the implementation of Part IIIof the Charter.

• facilitate and encourage the use of the language inspeech and writing in public and private life wherethere is appropriate demand

There has been no comprehensive attemptto promote the use of Irish in speech andwriting, throughout society. For example,the use of Irish within the administrationhas been introduced on a strictly limitedbasis and there remain significant obstaclesto the use of Irish in the Northern IrelandAssembly. (More detail in relation to this isprovided in the discussion on Article 10 –

13Céad Tuairisc Tráthrialta na Ríochta Aontaithe faoi Chairt nahEorpa um Theangacha Réigiúnda agus Mionlaigh, Mí Iúil, 2002.

13Initial Periodical Report of the UK on the European Charter forRegional or Minority Languages, July 2002.

seo san imchaint ar Alt 10 – ÚdaráisRiaracháin agus Seirbhísí Poiblí – Cuid IIIden Chairt).

• Iarracht chun deireadh a chur, más féidir é, lesrianta a chuirfeadh nó a d’oibreodh in aghaidhchothú nó fhorbairt na teanga;

Deir an tAcht um Riaradh an Cheartais (Teanga)(Éire) 1737 gur i mBéarla ar fad a reáchtálfarimeachtaí na gCúirteanna Dlí. Is bac gan bogadhfós é sin ar úsáid na Gaeilge sna cúirteanna.

• Foráil maidir le hidirchaidreamh le pobal naGaeilge, agus a gcuid tuairimí a léiriú d’údaráisphoiblí agus gearáin a imscrúdú;

Chun an fhoráil seo a fheidhmiú go hiomlán baghá córas éasca teagmhála a bhunú idir pobal naGaeilge agus na húdaráis. Bheadh gá fosta le foras,ar nós Ombudsman na Gaeilge, chun déileáil legearáin. Ó tharla gan beart ar bith a bheith déantai dtreo cheachtar den dá rud seo tá caidreamh anphobail leis na húdaráis teoranta agus míshásúilgo fóill.

• Dualgas reachtúil a chur ar an Roinn Oideachaischun oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge a spreagadhagus a éascú de réir na socruithe láithreacha donoideachas comhtháite;

A bhuí leis an Ord Oideachais (Tuaisceart nahÉireann) 1998, tá an fhoráil seo anois i bhfeidhm.Mar a dúradh áit eile sa tuairisc seo, léiríonn naforbairtí is déanaí i réimse an oideachais trí mheánna Gaeilge go bhfuil buanmhéadú dearfachta imana na n-údarás, ni hionann is leithcheal namblianta fada roimhe seo.

• An scóip atá ann chun Teilifís na Gaeilge14 a chur arfáil níos forleithne i dTuaisceart na hÉireann ascrúdú, mar ábhar práinne, in éineacht le húdaráisiomchuí na Breataine agus i gcomhar le húdaráischraolacháin na hÉireann.

16Administrative Authorities and PublicServices – of Part III of the Charter).

• seek to remove where possible, restrictions whichwould discourage or work against the maintenanceor development of the language

The Administration of Justice (Language) Act(Ireland) 1737 states that all court proceedingsmust be conducted in English, thereby preventingthe use of Irish in court proceedings.

• make provision for liaising with the Irish languagecommunity, representing their views to publicauthorities and investigating complaints

The full implementation of this provision wouldrequire the establishment of a structure tofacilitate contact between the Irish languagecommunity and the authorities. It would alsorequire the establishment of a grievancemechanism, such as an Ombudsman’s Office forthe Irish language. To date, no actions have beentaken on either of these measures andcommunication between the Irish languagecommunity and the authorities remains limitedand unsatisfactory.

• place a statutory duty on the Department ofEducation to encourage and facilitate Irish-mediumeducation in line with current provision forintegrated education

This provision has been implemented in theEducation (Northern Ireland) Order 1998. As notedelsewhere in this report, recent developments inrelation to Irish-medium education reflectincreasingly positive policies in this area, whichfollow many years of discriminatory policy towardsthe Irish-medium sector.

• explore urgently with the relevant Britishauthorities, and in co-operation with the Irishbroadcasting authorities, the scope for achievingmore widespread availability of Teilifís na Gaeilge14

in Northern Ireland

14TG4 a baisteadh ar an stáisiún ó shin. 14The station has since been re-named as TG4.

Cé gurb eol do POBAL go ndearna an rialtasiarrachtaí áirithe sa treo seo níl seirbhís shásúilcurtha ar fáil don phobal fós, agus tá ceithre blianaimithe thart ó síníodh an Comhaontú. (Tuilleadhfaoi seo san imchaint ar Alt 11 - na Meáin - deChuid III den Chairt)

• Bealaí níos éifeachtaí a lorg chun spreagadh agustaca airgeadais a thabhairt do léiriú scannán agusclár teilifíse trí Ghaeilge i dTuaisceart na hÉireann

Tá maoiniú ar fáil don oiliúint, ach níor cuireadhmaoiniú breise don táirgeadh ina chuideachta. Níléir ach oiread an nasc atá idir oiliúint agus"spreagadh agus taca airgeadais a thabhairt". Isbeag fianaise atá ann ar aon bheart dearfa atádéanta chun maoiniú a lorg agus a chur ar fáilchun teilifís agus scannáin Ghaeilge a tháirgeadh.

• Na páirtithe a spreagadh chun teacht archomhaontú go leanfaidh Tionól nua den tiomantassin ar shlí a chuirfidh san áireamh mianta agusíogaireachtaí an phobail.

Is focal scoir an fhoráil seo a léiríonn an cur chuigeginearálta a bheidh ann i bhfeidhmiú nadtiomantas a luaíodh roimhe agus tagraíonn séd’ionad na teanga i gcúlra mór na polaitíochta idTuaisceart na hÉireann. Go dearfa tá baint idir ancúlra polaitiúil agus polasaí teanga. Ach mar sinféin tá sé de dhualgas ar lucht déanta polasaí angníomh diongbháilte i gcothú na Gaeilge achleachtadh in áit a bheith ag ligean do bhuarthaípolaitiúla treo an pholasaí a stiúradh.

Leathanach 10 – Deirtear sa tuairisc ‘Go ndearnadhidirchomhairle leis na Ranna Rialtais uilig saTuaisceart agus le réimse maith comlachtaígaolmhara i gcomhair na tuairisce seo’. Is éigeandúinn a rá áfach nach ndearnadh iarracht ar bithchun tuairimí na nGaelghrúpaí neamhrialtasachaa fháil faoi ábhar na tuairisce seo ón Stát.

Leathanach 11 – Maidir leis na bearta a rinneadhle heolas a scaipeadh, rinne POBAL monatóireachti dtaca leis an Chairt agus fuair sé amach go raibhmoill mhór ann go minic ar scaipeadh eolais agustreoirlínte chuig na comhlachtaí poiblí cuí uilig.(Tugtar tuilleadh fianaise faoi seo go sonrach inearnáil 4).

17

While POBAL is aware that government can pointto efforts on this issue, the service available to theIrish language community in the North remainsvery unsatisfactory, some four years after thesigning of the Agreement. (More detail in relationto this is provided in the discussion on Article 11 –Media – of Part III of the Charter).

• seek more effective ways to encourage and providefinancial support for Irish language film andtelevision production in Northern Ireland

Funding has been made available for training inthese areas, but this has not been accompanied byfurther financial support for production. Nor is itclear what the link is between training and‘encouraging and providing financial support’.There is in general a lack of evidence as to theconcrete measures taken to secure or providefunding for television and film production in Irish.

• encourage the parties to secure agreement that thiscommitment will be sustained by a new Assembly ina way which takes account of the desires andsensitivities of the community

This provision relates to the overall approach to betaken in relation to the preceding commitmentson the Irish language and refers to the position ofthe language and the wider political context in theNorth of Ireland. While this undoubtedly has aninfluence on language policy, it is also clear that itis incumbent on policy makers to pursue ‘resoluteaction’ to promote the Irish language, rather thanallowing political concerns to dictate the nature ofpolicy.

Page 10 – It is stated that ‘All Northern IrelandDepartments and a range of associated bodieswere consulted for this report’. It should be notedthat no attempt was made to seek the views ofnon-governmental Irish language groups on thecontent of the State report.

Page 11 – In relation to the measures taken tocirculate information, the results of POBAL’smonitoring in relation to the Charter indicate thatthere were considerable delays in issuinginformation and guidelines to all of the relevantpublic bodies. (This evidence is presented ingreater detail in section 4).

D’fháiltigh POBAL roimh bhunú Ghrúpa Idir-rannach na Cairte. Is ábhar imní é áfach nachbhfuil an grúpa sin ag obair ar dhóigh chomhhéifeachtach agus a bheadh de dhíth. De réireolais a tháinig ón Aire Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta15, níor tháinig an grúpa le chéile achceithre huaire suas go dtí Aibreán 2002. Tharlamoill mhór fosta i seachadadh chríochleagan nadtreoirlínte Cairte chuig na Ranna Rialtais aguschuig forais phoiblí chuí eile.

Má tá dualgas ann eolas faoin Chairt a scaipeadhchuig na forais cuí uilig, dar le POBAL gombaineann seo fosta leis na grúpaí teanga comhmaith. Tá easpa cur chuige onnghníomhaighshoiléir le sonrú in imeachtaí na n-údárás (goháirithe imeachtaí na Roinne Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta, dream a bhfuil príomhfhreagracht nagcúrsaí seo acu) i dtaca le heolas faoin Chairt athabhairt do na grúpaí Gaeilge. Le linn obairmhonatóireachta POBAL is ar ár gconlán féin afuair muid aon eolas faoin dul chun cinn ibhfeidhmiú na Cairte. Mar shampla, rinne muidteagmháil le Ranna an Fheidhmeannais agus leroinnt foras poiblí (rud a gcuirtear síos go sonrachair in earnáil 4) agus chuir muid ceisteanna faoinChairt. Thairis sin, shocraigh muid cruinniú lehÓifig Thuaisceart Éireann agus le hOifig an ChéadAire agus LeasChéad Aire chun feidhmiú na Cairtea phlé. Is éigean a fhógairt go soiléir áfach nachndearna na húdaráis aon rud le tús a chur leis nateagmhálacha sin nó le heolas a thabhairt doghrúpaí Gaeilge faoin Chairt. Fáiltíonn POBALroimh an scéala gur rún don Ghrúpa Idir-rannachar an Chairt cruinniú oscailte faoin Chairt a eagrú.Tá súil againn fosta go mbeidh an críochleagan dena socruithe uilig ar fáil gan mórán moille.

Focal scoir faoin easpa idirchomhairle le pobal naGaeilge. Is cosúil go síleann an RCEF gur leor abheith ag déanamh teagmhála le forais reachtúlaGhaeilge (ar nós Iontaobhas Ultach agus Foras naGaeilge)16. Fágann a leithéid seo de dhearcadhagus de mhodh imeachta áfach nach dtaganntuairimí na ngrúpaí neamhrialtasacha i láthairRCEF nó chuig comhlachtaí uile a bhfuil freagrachtacu i dtaca le forbairt polasaí teanga.

18While the establishment of the InterdepartmentalCharter Group is to be welcomed, POBAL isconcerned that the group has not operated aseffectively as might be expected. According toinformation supplied by the Minister for Culture,Arts and Leisure15 , the group had met on just fouroccasions, by April 2002 and there has also been aprolonged delay in issuing finalised guidance onthe Charter to Executive departments and otherrelevant public bodies.

The requirement to ensure that all relevant bodiesare adequately informed about the Charter,presumably also relates to raising awarenessamong the language groups concerned. There hasbeen a marked lack of a pro-active approach bythe authorities (and most particularly by theDepartment of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL)),who have lead responsibility in this regard) toinforming Irish language groups about the Charter.During POBAL’s monitoring work, all of ourinformation on progress in implementing theCharter was obtained on our own initiative. Thus,we contacted the Executive departments and arange of other public bodies (this is described ingreater detail in section 4) with enquiries aboutthe Charter. We also arranged meetings with theNorthern Ireland Office and with the Office of theFirst Minister and Deputy First Minister, to discussthe implementation of the Charter. However, itshould be noted that the authorities did not takeany steps to initiate such contact or to inform Irishlanguage groups of issues relating to the Charter.POBAL welcomes the information that theInterdepartmental Charter Group plans to host anopen meeting on the Charter and would hope thatthe detailed arrangements will be finalised shortly.

As a final observation on the lack of genuineconsultation with the Irish language community,by the authorities, it would appear that DCAL takesthe view that contacts with statutory Irishlanguage bodies (Iontaobhas Ultach and Foras naGaeilge) constitute adequate liaison with Irishlanguage groups16. However, this means that theviews of non-governmental Irish language groupsare not adequately represented to DCAL and otherbodies, with responsibility for developing languagepolicy.

15Freagra ó Michael McGimpsey, Aire Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta, ar cheist ó Gerry Adams MLA, 8 Aibréan 2002.

16Nochtadh an tuairim seo ag Ceannaire Aonad Éagsúlacht Teanga saRoinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta i rith cruinnithe a bhí aici lePOBAL i mí na Bealtaine 2002.

15Response by Michael McGimpsey, Minister for Culture, Arts andLeisure to Gerry Adams MLA, 8 April 2002.

16This view was expressed by the Head of the Linguistic DiversityUnit in DCAL, during a meeting with POBAL in May 2002.

CUID II

Leathanach 15 – I dtaca leis an chlár taighde atá agAonad Éagsúlacht Teanga an RCEF, tugann POBALfaoi deara go bhfuil plean straitéiseach forbarthaarna ordú i gcás Albanais Uladh. Cé go bhfuildifríocht shoiléir ann idir scéal na Gaeilge agusscéal Albanais Uladh faoi láthair creideann POBALgo gcaithfear tús áite a thabhairt don phleanáilstraitéiseach i leith na Gaeilge agus gur chóir gombeadh seo ina slánchuid de chlár oibre naRoinne.

Leathanach 16 – Maidir le daonáireamh 2001, iséigean a lua gur i mBéarla amháin a bhí nafoirmeacha daonáirimh le fáil. Thairis sin níl sésoiléir go mbeadh aon fhoirmeacha a líonadh inGaeilge inglactha mar fhoirmeacha bailí.

Leathanach 22 – I dtaca leis an idirchomhairle lepobal na Gaeilge, bheadh míniú agus soiléiriú dedhith ar POBAL maidir leis na grúpaí sonracha abhfuil rún ag an Aonad Éagsúlacht Teangateagmháil a dhéanamh leo, agus maidir leminicíocht agus modh oibre na dteagmhálachasin.

Ar bhonn níos ginearálta, i ndiaidh an t-eolas aléamh a tugadh dúinn ar fheidhmiú Cuid II denChairt, nílimid cinnte ar chor ar bith gur cuireadhtosca na Gaeilge agus tosca Albanais Uladh sanáireamh i gceart agus an polasaí á chumadh. Sachuntas atá ann, mar shampla, faoi na céimeannaa tugadh le húsáid na Gaeilge agus Albanais Uladha chothú sna meáin chumarsáide, i bhfoilseacháinoifigiúla agus i gcomhfhreagras leis an chórasriaracháin dealraíonn sé gur polasaí ‘comh-fhreastail’ atá i gceist. Tuigimid ar ndóigh gurbéigean cuntas cuimsitheach a thabhairt sa mhírseo faoi na céimeanna a tugadh i gcás AlbanaisUladh, teanga nár sonraíodh faoi Chuid III denChairt, ach tá imní ar POBAL nach bhfuil fianaisear bith ann go bhfuil tábhacht uathúil na Gaeilge idTuaisceart na hÉireann aitheanta go sásúil i dtacale feidhmiú na Cairte.

19

PART II

Page 15 – With reference to the researchprogramme of the Linguistic Diversity Unit ofDCAL, POBAL notes that Unit has commissioned astrategic development plan for Ulster-Scots. Whilethere are clear differences in the circumstances ofthe Irish language and Ulster-Scots, at present,POBAL believes that strategic planning is a priorityin relation to the Irish language and that thisshould be reflected in DCAL’s work programme.

Page 16 – In relation to the 2001 Census, it shouldbe noted that the census forms were available onlyin English. Furthermore, it was not clear whetherforms completed in Irish would be accepted asvalid.

Page 22 - With regard to consultation with the Irishlanguage community, POBAL would welcomeclarification on the particular Irish languagegroups with which the Linguistic Diversity Branchof DCAL liaises, and also on the frequency andformat of this contact.

In general, the information supplied on theimplementation of Part II of the Charter, raisessome questions about the extent to whichlanguage policy on Irish and Ulster-Scots has beendeveloped with appropriate regard to theindividual circumstances of each language. Forexample, the account of measures taken topromote the use of Irish and Ulster-Scots in themedia, in official publications and incorrespondence with the administration, indicatesthat a policy of ‘parallel provision’ has beenadopted. While it is clear that this section requiresa comprehensive account of measures taken inrelation to Ulster-Scots, which has not beenspecified under Part III of the Charter, POBAL isconcerned that there is insufficient evidence thatthe special position of the Irish language in thenorth of Ireland, has been adequately recognisedin relation to the implementation of the Charter.

4. FEIDHMIÚ NA CAIRTE – CUID III

ALT 8 – OIDEACHAS

Mar a dúradh sa Réamhrá, tharla fás buan saGhaelscolaíocht i dTuaisceart na hÉireann letríocha bliain anuas. Is de bharr tionscadail anphobail féin a tharla é seo, d’ainneoinneamhspéise agus naimhdis uaireanta, ó nahúdáráis. Le blianta beag anuas ar ndóigh támana níos fearr ag na húdaráis ar earnáil naGaelscolaíochta agus dá chomhartha sin ritheadhan tOrd Oideachais (TÉ) 1998. San Ord seoceanglaítear ar Roinn an Oideachais ‘spreagadhagus éascú a thabhairt d’fhorbairt naGaelscolaíochta.’ Cuireadh dhá fhoras reachtúla arbun le déanaí san earnáil seo agus is aitheantasbreise é an beart sin do na Gaelscoileanna.‘Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta’ a thugtar ar cheannamháin a bunaíodh sa bhliain 2001 agus tá sífreagrach as cothú na Gaelscolaíochta. Tá rólionadaíochta aici don earnáil uilig, agus rólcomhairleach aici i dtaca le scoileanna nua aguspleanáil. Tá ‘Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta’ annfosta, rud a bunaíodh i 2001 agus gan de ról aigeach maoiniú a choinneáil leis na scoileanna nachbhfuair aitheantas oifigiúil fós agus nach bhfuil idteideal aon mhaoiniú a fháil ón RoinnOideachais. Dea-fhorbairt eile ar an pholasaí baea athmheas na gcritéar inmharthanachta. Roimhan athrú seo bhí rolla 25 dalta de dhíth chunbheith inmhaoinithe. Tá an figiúr seo íslithe go dtí15 i mBéal Feirste agus i nDoire agus go dtí 12 dona scoileanna taobh amuigh den dá mhórcheantaruirbeacha sin.

In ainneoin seo uilig tá roinnt ábhar imní ann dona Gaelscoileanna arb éigean dul i ngleic leo chungealltanais na Cairte a chur i bhfeidhm go sásúil.

• Áiseanna agus Ábhair Teagaisc

Tá roinnt tograí ar siúl chun ábhair a fhorbairt dona Gaelscoileanna. Tá Áisionad ann i gColáisteOllscoile Naomh Muire - coláiste oiliúnamúinteoireachta i mBéal Feirste agus cuireann séseo ábhair ar fáil. Tá maoiniú ar fáil fosta faoichlár síochána an AE chun ábhar a sholáthar dobhunscoileanna sa Tuaisceart. Ach ní leor nationscnaimh seo chun freastal ar riachtanais nahearnála seo atá ag fás go borrach buan. Tá gá letuillleadh acmhainní. Cuireann an easpa ábharagus áiseanna teagaisc sna Gaelscoileanna cúram

204. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

CHARTER – PART III

ARTICLE 8 – EDUCATION

As outlined in the introduction, the past threedecades have seen a sustained growth in Irish-medium education in the north of Ireland. Thishas resulted from community initiatives and haslargely taken place in a context of officialindifference or even hostility. In recent times, theeducational authorities have adopted morefavourable policies towards the Irish-mediumsector, including the introduction of the EducationOrder (Northern Ireland) 1998. This commits theDepartment of Education to ‘facilitate andencourage the development of Irish-mediumschools’. The recent establishment of two statutorybodies with responsibilities in relation to Irish-medium education also reflects the increasingofficial recognition of this sector. Comhairle naGaelscolaíochta (the Council for Irish-mediumeducation), which was established in 2000, isresponsible for the promotion of Irish-mediumschooling. Its role includes representing the Irish-medium sector, advising groups in establishingnew schools and overall planning for the futuredevelopment of the sector. Iontaobhas naGaelscolaíochta (the Irish-medium educationTrust), which was set up at the start of 2001, hasthe specific role of providing funding to schoolswhich have not attained official status (and so donot qualify for funding from the Department ofEducation). Another favourable policydevelopment in relation to Irish-mediumeducation was the revision of the viability criteriafor primary schools. Prior to this revision, schoolshad to have 25 pupils enrolled in order to qualifyfor grant-aid. This has now been reduced to 15pupils for schools in Belfast and Derry and to 12pupils for schools outside the two main urbanareas.

There are a number of specific concerns in relationto existing provision for Irish-medium education,which need to be addressed to ensure satisfactoryimplementation of the Charter commitments.

• Resources and teaching materials

There are a number of projects in place to developmaterials for Irish-medium schools. Thus, there is

breise ar na múinteoirí, cúram nach mbíonn ar aleathbhreac féin sna scoileanna Béarla. De réirtaighde a rinne POBAL le déanaí deir múinteoirí nanGaelscoileanna gurb éigean an t-uafás ama achaitheamh ag aistriú téacsanna ó Bhéarla goGaeilge. Dhírigh siad ár n-aird ar an ghéarghá atáann le téacsleabhair, leabhair léitheoireachta,ábhar closamhairc agus bogearraí ríomhaireachta.

Cuireann an ganntanas acmhainní agusáiseanna Gaelscoileanna faoi mhíbhuntáistemór i gcomparáid leis na scoileanna Béarla.Ní féidir le forálacha na Cairte anGaeloideachas a chur i bhfeidhm i gceartgan aghaidh a thabhairt ar an ghanntanasseo agus maoiniú i gcomhair acmhainníagus áiseanna cuí a chur ar fáil dóibh.

• Seirbhísí Sláinte agus Seirbhísí Saineolaithe

Cé go bhfuil fás buan le daichead bliain anuas aran earnáil Ghaelscolaíochta, is beag forbairt atá lefeiceáil sa soláthar do chúrsaí sláinte agus seirbhísíspeisialta eile trí mheán na Gaeilge do na daltaí.Baineann seo go speisialta leis an tSeirbhís Sláintedo na scoileanna agus don mheasúnachtfhorbartha a dhéantar ar na páistí. I measc nabhfadhbanna is géire faoi láthair tá an easpa uirlisídiagnóiseacha don mheasúnacht ar chúrsaí teangaagus ar fhorbairt céille i gcás daltaí dátheangacha.Ó tharla gur i mBéarla a forbraíodh na trialachaseo uilig, tá sé fíordheacair measúnacht bheacht adhéanamh ar pháistí atá ag freastal ar scoileannaGaeilge. Mar bharr air sin tá ganntanas mór foirnesna Seirbhísí Sláinte agus Seirbhísí Gaolmhara (arnós teiripe cainte, síceolaíochta agus oibresóisialta) i measc daoine ar féidir leo a gcuid oibrea dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge.

Téann an easpa fhorbartha sa réimse seo go mór ibhfeidhm ar pháistí a bhfuil sainriachtanais acu.De dheasca na mbearnaí sa chóras measúnachtaagus leighis is éigean anois go minic do pháistí abhfuil sainriachtanais acu éirí as anGhaelscolaíocht agus dul chuig scoileanna eilechun seirbhísí cuí a fháil. Le linn an taighde arinne POBAL i measc phobal na Gaeilge fuair siadcuntas ar chuid de na cásanna seo agus babhriseadh mór croí iad ag tuismitheoirí,múinteoirí agus ag páistí chomh maith.

21

a Resources Unit (An tÁisaonad) in St. Mary’sUniversity College – a teacher training college inBelfast – which produces materials for schools.Funding has also been made available under theEU Peace Programme to provide materials forIrish-medium primary schools in the north ofIreland. However, these initiatives are notsufficient to serve the needs of this fast growingsector of education and there is a need forsubstantially increased resources. The inadequatesupply of teaching materials and resources for usein Irish-medium schools places pupils and teachersat a disadvantage in relation to their counterpartsin English-medium schools. In a research studyconducted by POBAL, teachers in Irish-mediumschools reported that translation of various schooltexts from English to Irish constituted a major partof their workload. They identified an urgent needfor the provision of a range of materials (text-books, readers, audio-visual material, software) inIrish.

The inadequate provision of teachingmaterials and resources for Irish-mediumschools places these schools at aconsiderable disadvantage relative toEnglish-medium schools. The fullimplementation of the Charter provisionson Irish-medium education requires thatthis deficiency be addressed, throughsubstantially increased funding andresources for the development of suitablematerials.

• Health and Specialist services

While the Irish-medium education sector hasgrown and developed over the past four decades,there has been very little development in theprovision of health and other specialist servicesthrough the medium of Irish for pupils attendingthese schools. This applies to the school healthservice and to the developmental assessments ofchildren. One of the most pressing problems is thelack of appropriate diagnostic tools for theassessment of language and cognitivedevelopment in bilingual (English and Irish)children. Since all of the tests currently availablehave been developed in English, there are seriousproblems in obtaining accurate assessments ofchildren attending Irish-medium schools. Inaddition, there is a severe shortage of staff in thehealth services and related services (such as speechtherapy, psychology, social work) who are

Bhí taighdeoir amháin darbh ainm Ó Hagan17 agfiosrú faoi thaithí chainteoirí Gaeilge marúsáideoirí na seirbhísí sláinte agus fuair sé amachgo raibh na tuismitheoirí buartha go mór faoin ídea bhí á tabhairt do na páistí ag na cuairteoirígairmiúla seo. Is iomaí tuismitheoir a nocht amíshásamh faoin dóigh ar cuireadh anmheasúnacht fhorbartha ar na páistí. Ó tharla gurreáchtáladh na measúnachtaí seo i mBéarla agusgo raibh gné teanga ag baint leo cibé ar bith, bamhinic a bhí na tuismitheoirí in amhras faoifhóirsteanacht an phróisis mheasúnachta dábpáistí.

Thuairiscigh na tuismitheoirí chomh maith faoiócáidí áirithe nuair a dúirt na hoibrithe gairmiúlagurbh am amú é an t-oideachas dátheangach agusgo raibh sé ag cur isteach ar fhorbairt na bpáistí araibh fadhbanna cainte nó fadhbanna eileforbartha acu. Níor míníodh bunús na dtuairimíseo go sásúil riamh do na tuismitheoirí agus tá séag teacht salach ar an dearcadh forleathan gobhfuil buntáistí ag baint leis an dátheangachas.Léiríonn taighde O’Hagan an dóigh a dtéann aneaspa seirbhísí cuí seo i bhfeidhm ar na páistí agusar na tuismitheoirí. Taispeánann sé fosta anphráinn atá le soláthar agus forbairt na seirbhísísin i nGaeilge.

Tá POBAL i ndiaidh páirtíochtaí a chur ar bun lelucht soláthar seirbhísí sláinte i mBéal Feirste chundul i ngleic le cuid de na riachtanais seo. Dáthairbhe sin tá dul chun cinn éigin déanta acumaidir le hoiliúint na foirne sláinte agus solátharna seirbhísí sláinte do na Gaelscoileanna.

Tá POBAL ag comhoibriú fosta le scátheagras denchineál chéanna i bPoblacht na hÉireann ar thograi gcomhair treoirlínte do lucht teiripe cainte agusiad ag déanamh measúnachta ar fhorbairt teangai gcás páistí dátheangacha. Tá géarghá le tuilleadhoibre ar an togra seo. Ar leibhéal Ranna anFheidhmeannais, is léir go bhfuil dualgas ar naRanna Sláinte agus Oideachais sa réimse seo agustá comhoibriú de dhíth ón dá chuid ar an obairseo.

22competent to conduct their professional dutiesthrough Irish.

The lack of development in this area has aparticularly serious impact on children withspecial needs. The absence of appropriate services,from assessment to treatment has resulted in asituation where children with special needs areoften forced to leave Irish-medium education, inorder to avail of suitable specialist services. DuringPOBAL’s research on the needs of the Irishlanguage community, a number of these instanceswere reported and were described as being verydistressing for parents, teachers and pupils.

During the course of his research on theexperiences of Irish speakers as users of the healthservice, O’Hagan17 found that the way in whichchildren were treated by professionals was ofcentral concern to parents. It was common forparents to express dissatisfaction with the way inwhich developmental assessments of childrenwere conducted. Since these assessments, whichfrequently included a language element, weregenerally conducted through English, parentsoften doubted the appropriateness of theassessment procedure for their children. Parentsalso reported instances where professional workerssuggested that a bilingual upbringing or educationwas detrimental to children who showed signs ofspeech or other developmental difficulties. Thisopinion was never explained to parents and iscontrary to the widely acknowledged benefits ofbilingualism. O’Hagan’s research highlights thepractical consequences for parents and children ofthe lack of appropriate services and confirms theneed to develop such services.

POBAL has established partnerships with healthservice providers in Belfast, in order to addresssome of these needs. This has resulted in someprogress in relation to the provision of training forhealth service staff and the provision of schoolhealth services through Irish. POBAL are also co-operating with a similar Irish language umbrellagroup in the Republic of Ireland on a project todevelop guidelines for speech therapists inassessing language development in bilingualchildren. There is a pressing need for this work tobe further developed. At the level of the Executivedepartments, it is clear that the departments ofhealth and education have responsibilities in thisarea, and the development of the work requiresco-operation at this level.

17O’Hagan, Kieran (2001) Cultural Competence in the CaringProfessions, Jessica Kingsley, Londain

17O’Hagan, Kieran (2001) Cultural Competence in the CaringProfessions, Jessica Kingsley, London

Tá an soláthar a dhéanann na seirbhísísláinte agus sainiúla eile míshásúil ar fad igcomhair na Gaelscolaíochta faoi láthair.Go sonrach, tá géarghá le huirlisídiagnóiseacha do mheasúnacht teanga agusdo mheasúnacht forbartha céille do pháistídátheangacha agus le soláthar seirbhísí cuído pháistí a bhfuil sainriachtanais acu iscoileanna Gaeilge. Gan aghaidh athabhairt ar na ceisteanna seo ní féidirforálacha na Cairte a chur i bhfeidhm gohiomlán.

• Soláthar Iarscoile

In earnáil na Gaelscolaíochta is beag soláthariarscoile atá le fáil. Os rud é go mbíonn cuid mhórde na tuismitheoirí a chuireann a gcuid páistíchuig na Gaelscoileanna ar bheagán Gaeilge iadféin, is léir go bhfuil gá le clubanna iarscoile agusclubanna obair bhaile mar chuidiú do na páistíagus do na tuismitheoirí.

• Teagasc na Gaeilge sna scoileanna Béarla

Is fíor gurb iad na Gaelscoileanna na rudaí istábhachtaí maidir le fás agus forbairt phobal naGaeilge. Is cuid fhíorbheag go fóill iad de phobalscoile an Tuaiscirt áfach. Dá bhrí sin, tá tábhachtmhór le teagasc na Gaeilge sna scoileanna Béarlafosta cionn is gur féidir leis seo teacht a fhad leníos mó dáltaí. I láthair na huaire ní gnách anteagasc seo a dhéanamh ach sna scoileanna daraleibhéal. Níl áit ar bith ann don teanga archuraclam reatha na mbunscoileanna. Ag an daraleibhéal teagasctar an Ghaeilge i dtromlach nascoileanna Caitliceacha agus i gcorrscoilchomhtháite chomh maith. I scoileanna dechineálacha eile tugadh léargas éigin ar anGhaeilge do na daltaí a bhuí leis an ChlárSaibhrithe sa Léann Gaelach a chuir Gael-linn arfáil ó 1995 ar aghaidh. Clúdaíonn an clár seoroinnt mhór ábhar: ciall na logainmneacha,tionchar na Gaeilge ar an chineál Béarla alabhartar in Éirinn, bunchúrsa i nGaeilge Uladhagus araile. De réir na measúnachtaí a rinneadhar an chlár seo18 is cosúil gur glacadh go maith leisagus gur spreag sé daltaí chun tuilleadh staidéir adhéanamh ar an teanga.

23

The provision of health and other specialistservices that are appropriate to Irish-medium education is far from satisfactory,at present. In particular, there is an urgentneed for diagnostic tools for the assessmentof language and cognitive development inbilingual children and for the provision ofappropriate services for children withspecial needs in Irish-medium schools. Fullimplementation of the Charter provisionson education requires that these issues beaddressed.

• After-school provision

In the Irish-medium sector, after-school provisionis currently very limited. Given that many parentswho choose Irish-medium education for theirchildren may have limited ability in Irish, there isa clear need for the establishment of after-schooland homework clubs, to assist parents andchildren.

• Teaching of Irish in English-medium schools

Clearly, Irish-medium education has been andcontinues to be central to the further growth anddevelopment of the Irish language community.However, the pupils attending Irish-mediumschools constitute a small minority of the totalpupil population in the north of Ireland. Thus, theteaching of Irish in English-medium schools is animportant area, which has the potential to reach amuch greater number of pupils. At present, theteaching of Irish in English-medium schools islargely confined to second-level. Irish is notgenerally taught at primary level as there is noprovision for this within the current primary levelcurriculum. Irish is taught in a majority of Catholicmanaged schools and in some integrated schoolsat second-level. Pupils in other school types havebeen introduced to Irish, through the EnrichmentProgramme in Gaelic Studies, provided by Gael-Linn since 1995. The programme covers a range oftopics including the origin of place names and theinfluence of Irish on the English spoken in Ireland,as well as a basic course in Ulster Irish. Evaluationsof the programme18 show that it has beenpositively received and has generated an interestin further study of Irish among pupils.

18Gael-Linn a rinne na measúnachtaí seo, agus tháinig an maoiniú ónCCRU (Lár-ionad don Chaidreamh Trasphobail).

18These were carried out by Gael-Linn and the sponsor organisationCCRU (Central Community Relations Unit).

Tháinig teagasc na Gaeilge sna scoileanna Béarlafaoi bhagairt roinnt uaireanta nuair a rinneadhbearta pholasaí oideachais ar rún dóibh, de réircosúlachta, stádas na teanga sna scoileanna a ísliú.Sa bhliain 1988/99 rinneadh iarracht an Ghaeilge abhaint de liosta na dteangacha nua-aimseartha abhí inglactha don churaclam dara leibhéal. Theipar an iarracht seo.

Deir McKendry áfach19 go bhfuil laghdú le feiceáilar líon na ndaltaí i scoileanna dara leibhéal atá agfoghlaim Gaeilge, tar éis leasú an chóraisoideachais i 1989 de dheasca chaolú ar an amchláragus ar an bhuiséad.

Tá géarghá ann le gníomh dearfach chun anGhaeilge a chothú mar ábhar i scoileannaBéarla má tá an gealltanas a bhí in Alt 8 denChairt le comhlíonadh.

• Oiliúint

I measc na ngealltanas a rinneadh maidir leis anGhaeilge sa chóras oideachais tá gealltanas ar leithann a bhaineann le hoiliúint chuí a chur ar fáil domhúinteoirí (Alt 8, h).

Mar chuid den chúrsa don chéim ‘ BaitsiléirOideachais’ atá ar fáil i gColáiste Ollscoile NaomhMuire i mBéal Feirste tá cosán Gaeilge ann athairgeann oideachas ar leith do na daoine sin armian leo obair a dhéanamh san earnáil seo.Teagasc dátheangach a dhéantar sa chosán seo.Reáchtálann an Ollscoil seo teastas iarchéime sanoideachas (TICO) fosta don Ghaeilge agus déantaran chuid is mó den teagasc trí Ghaeilge ar mhaithele céimithe ar mian leo post a ghlacadh imBunscoileanna lánGhaeilge.

In alt a foilsíodh le déanaí i Lá20 dúirtpriomhfheidhmeanach Chomhairle naGaelscolaíochta go bhfuil ganntanas múinteoirí archeann de na fadhbanna is mó atá ag cur isteachar earnáil na Gaelscolaíochta sa Tuaisceart faoiláthair. Mar shampla, thuairiscigh sé go raibh 28múinteoir nuacháilithe a dhíth don scoilbhliain2002/2003 ach nach rabhthas ag dúil le níos mó ná24 ó na cúrsaí oiliúna múinteoireachta. Tá anganntanas múinteoirí seo bainteach le dhá rud,ganntanas áiteanna traenála múinteoireachta sachéad áit, agus mar bharr air sin an deacracht abhíonn ag cuid de na hiarrthóirí an caighdeán cuía bhaint amach i gcomhair oiliúna gairmiúla.

24The teaching of Irish in English-medium schoolshas been threatened, at various stages, byeducation policy decisions which appear to bedesigned to undermine the position of thelanguage in schools. In 1988/89, there was anunsuccessful attempt to exclude Irish from the listof admissible modern languages in the second-level curriculum. However, McKendry19 notes thatthere has been a decrease in the number ofsecond-level schools teaching Irish, following the1989 education reform, due to timetable andbudget restrictions.

There is a need for positive action topromote Irish as a subject in English-medium schools, in order to fullyimplement the commitments under Article8 of the Charter.

• Training

Under the commitments relating to the Irishlanguage in the education system, there is aspecific undertaking to provide appropriatetraining for teachers (Article 8, h).

The Bachelor of Education degree at St. Mary’sUniversity College in Belfast includes an Irish-medium pathway, which offers specialist trainingfor those wishing to work in this sector. This courseis taught bilingually. The University also runs anIrish-medium PGCE (Post-Graduate Certificate inEducation) which is taught mainly through Irishand which is directed at graduates wishing to teachin Irish-medium primary schools.

In a recent article in Lá20 (an Irish languagenewspaper), the Chief Executive of Comhairle naGaelscolaíochta stated that the shortage ofteachers was one of the major challenges facingthe Irish-medium education sector in the North ofIreland. For example, he reported that for thecoming school year (2002/2003), 28 newlyqualified teachers would be required for Irish-medium schools, while just 24 students were dueto graduate from teacher training courses. Thisshortage of teachers is linked both to the limitedsupply of teacher training places and to difficultiesamong some applicants in reaching the standardrequired to undertake professional training.

19McKendry, E (2001) i Kirk, John & Ó Baoill, Dónall P. (eag).Language Links:The Languages of Scotland and Ireland, Cló Ollscoil naBanríona, Béal Feirste.

20Agallamh le Seán Ó Coinn, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, Lá, 20Meitheamh, 2002.

19McKendry, Eugene (2001) in Kirk, John and Ó Baoill, Dónall P. (eds.)Language Links: The Languages of Scotland and Ireland, QueensUniversity Press, Belfast.

20Interview with Seán Ó Coinn, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta , Lá, 20June 2002.

Chun a chinntiú go mbeidh go leor solátharsásúil múinteoirí ar fáil do naGaelscoileanna is gá líon níos mó áiteannaoiliúna múinteoireachta a chur ar fáil agusteagasc breise a sholáthar do mhicionchasacha léinn chun cuidiú leo nacáilíochtaí iontrála a bhaint amach.

Is iad na Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne abhíonn freagrach as oiliúint inseirbhíse asholáthar do mhúinteoirí na scoileanna stát-aitheanta. I láthair na huaire deir na múinteoirínach dugtar aitheantas ceart don earnáilGhaelscolaíochta sna cúrsaí seo cionn is go bhfuilan chuid is mó acu á soláthar trí mheán anBhéarla. Mar a dúradh thuas faoin ábhar teagaiscsna scoileanna, is éigean an t-ábhar oiliúna aúsáidtear sna cúrsaí seo a aistriú go Gaeilge. Leblianta beaga anuas tá dul chun cinn éigin déantasa réimse seo. Fostaíodh oibrí taca amháin snaBoird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne i gcomhairna nGaelscoileanna. Tá géarghá áfach le tuilleadhforbartha sa réimse seo chun freastal i gceart arriachtanais na múinteoirí atá ag obair snaGaelscoileanna.

Tá gá le tuilleadh foirne agus foinsí chuncúrsaí cuí oiliúna inseirbhíse a fhorbairt domhúinteoirí in earnáil an oideachaislánGhaeilge.

• Teagasc staire agus cultúir a bhaineann leteanga réigiúnda nó mionlaigh

Leagann curaclam Thuaisceart na hÉireann amachroinnt mhaith téamaí traschuraculaim atá leclúdach sna scoileanna. Ina measc siúd tá téamana hoidhreachta cultúrtha, ar cuspóir dó léargaséigin a thabhairt do na daltaí ar chomheachtraí agcuid oidhreachtaí cultúrtha, ar thréithe éagsúlaagus sainiúla a gcuid cultúr féin agus aridirspleáchas na gcultúr éagsúil.

Tá cuspóirí na dtéamaí seo leagtha amach igcreatlach leathan agus níl tagairt ar bith iontu dochúrsaí teanga mar lárghné den oidhreachtchultúrtha. Tugann seo cuid mhór saoirse do nascoileanna agus iad ag roghnú go díreach cad é abheidh á theagasc. De réir tuairiscí ó namúinteoirí níl ach mionlach scoileanna ann athugann eolas ar an Ghaeilge do na daltaí marchuid de ghné oidhreachta cultúrtha anchuraclaim. Ach tá comharthaí ann anois gombeidh athrú roimh i bhfad ar ionad na

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In order to ensure an adequate supply ofteachers for Irish-medium schools, there is aneed to provide a greater number of teachertraining places and to provide prospectivestudents with additional tuition to assistthem to meet the entry requirements.

The Education and Library Boards (ELBs) areresponsible for providing in-service training forteachers, including those in the Irish-mediumsector (in schools which have attained officialrecognition). At present, teachers report that thereis insufficient recognition of the Irish-mediumsector in these courses, which are largely deliveredthrough English. As noted above in relation toteaching materials, any such material provided attraining courses must be translated to Irish. Morerecently, there has been some progress in this area,with the employment of a support worker for Irish-medium schools by the ELBs. As a result, theprovision of in-service training through Irish hasimproved. However, there is a need for furtherdevelopment in this area, in order to adequatelymeet the needs of teachers employed in the Irish-medium sector.

There is a need for further staff andresources to develop appropriate in-servicetraining courses for teachers in the Irish-medium sector of education.

• Teaching of history and culture reflected bythe regional or minority language

The Northern Ireland curriculum sets out anumber of cross-curricular themes to be covered inschools. This includes the theme of culturalheritage, which aims to introduce pupils to ‘thecommon experiences of their cultural heritage, thediverse and distinctive aspects of their culture andthe interdependence of cultures’.

The objectives of this theme are outlined in broadterms and do not include any reference tolanguage, as a central aspect of cultural heritage.This allows schools some flexibility in determiningwhat will be taught. Reports from teachers suggestthat a minority of schools introduce pupils to theIrish language as part of the cultural heritageelement of the curriculum. However, there areindications that the position of cultural heritagewithin the cross-curricular themes will bediminished following the current review of thecurriculum21.

21Mc Kendry, E. (2001) op.cit.

hoidhreachta cultúrtha taobh istigh de na téamaítraschuraclaim nuair a chríochnófar an t-athmheas atá á dhéanamh ar an churaclamanois21.

Tá scóip ann le heolas níos fearr a scaipeadhfaoin Ghaeilge mar lárghné den oidhreachtchultúrtha taobh istigh den churaclam.Tabharfaidh an t-athmheas atá á dhéanamhfaoi láthair deis do na húdaráis le dul ingleic leis seo.

• Oideachas Teicniúil/Oideachas Gairmiúil

Ar an leibhéal iarscoile, tá roinnt cúrsaí oiliúna tríGhaeilge ar fáil ó eagraíochtaí ar nós ForbairtFeirste agus Gairm ach níl na cúrsaí sin ar fáil goforleathan. Deacracht amháin sa réimse seo gur imBéarla amháin atá fáil ar na hábhair teagaiscagus scrúdaithe do na cáilíochtaí náisiúntagairmiúla NVQ.22 I mBéal Feirste tugann ForbairtFeirste oiliúint do mhic léinn atá i ndiaidh anMheánscoil áitiúil a fhágáil, Meánscoil Feirste. Imeasc na gcúrsaí seo tá cúram leanaí agusteicneolaíocht an eolais. Tá eagraíocht nua annanois, í bunaithe i mBéal Feirste faoin ainm‘Cumasú’ agus tá sí ag díriú airde ar riachtanais nandaltaí atá ag teacht ó leibhéal na meánscoile.Tugann Gairm oiliúint faoi láthair do dhaoinedífhostaithe trí mheán an chláir ‘New Deal’ agus tágné d’oiliúint trí Ghaeilge i gceist chomh maith.Ba chóir a rá anseo gur eagraíochtaí deonacha iadseo uilig nach bhfuil mórán acmhainní acu.

Ó tharla fás buan ar an oideachas Gaeilge isiondúil go mbeidh fás ar an ghá le hoiliúinttheicniúil, oiliúint ghairmiúil tríd an Ghaeilge. Deréir measúnachta amháin a rinneadh le déanaíbeidh 26 áit oiliúna de dhíth i mBéal Feirste faoinbhliain 2005 agus rachaidh an figiúr seo suas go dtí66 faoin bhliain 2010.23

Tá gá le méadú sna háiseanna oiliúna tríGhaeilge chun freastal ar na daltaí atá anoisag fágáil an oideachais lánGhaeilge anois.Mairfidh agus méadóidh an riachtanas sinfeasta.

• Oideachas trí Ghaeilge ag an Ollscoil

Tá céimeanna ollscoile, bunchéimeanna agus ardcheimeanna sa Ghaeilge agus i litríocht na Gaeilge,ar fáil ag an dá Ollscoil sa Tuaisceart, Ollscoil naRíona i mBéal Feirste agus Ollscoil Uladh. Tá siad

26There is considerable scope to promote agreater awareness of the Irish language as acentral aspect of cultural heritage withinthe curriculum. The current review of thecurriculum provides an opportunity toaddress this.

• Technical /Vocational Education throughIrish

At post-school level, some training courses throughIrish are provided by organisations such as ForbairtFeirste and Gairm but such courses are not widelyavailable. One difficulty in this area at present isthat teaching materials and examinations for NVQs(National Vocational Qualifications) are availableonly in English.22 In Belfast, Forbairt Feirsteprovides training for students leaving the localIrish-medium secondary school – MeánscoilFeirste. Their courses include childcare andinformation technology. A new organisation basedin Belfast – Cumasú – is also focused on the needsof pupils leaving Irish-medium second leveleducation. Gairm currently provides training forunemployed people, through the New Dealprogramme, which includes some Irish-mediumtraining. It should be noted that these are allvoluntary organisations with very limitedresources.

With the continued growth in Irish-mediumeducation, the need for Irish-mediumtechnical/vocational training is likely to increase.According to one recent estimate, by 2005, 26training places will be required in Belfast and thisis expected to increase to 66 places by 2010.23

There is a need for increased provision forIrish-medium training in order to meetcurrent needs and the future trainingrequirements of pupils leaving Irish-medium education.

• Education through Irish at University

Primary and higher degree courses in Irishlanguage and literature are available at the twouniversities in the north of Ireland – Queen’sUniversity, Belfast and the University of Ulster.These are provided on a full-time and part-timebasis. In addition, there is a new post-graduatecourse in translation being provided at Queen’sUniversity.

21McKendry, E (2001) op. cit.

22Ó hAdhmaill, Féilim (2002) sa leabhar le Hamilton, D. & Fisher, C.(Eagarthóirí) Mapping West Belfast, Fóram Geilleagach Iarthar BhéalFeirste.

23Ó hAdhmaill, F., op. cit.

22Ó hAdhmaill, Féilim (2002) in Hamilton, Douglas and Fisher, Charlie(eds.) Mapping West Belfast, West Belfast Economic Forum

23Ó hAdhmaill, F., op cit.

seo soláthraithe ar bhonn lánaimseartha aguspáirt-aimseartha. Sa bhreis air sin, tá cúrsaiarchéime san aistriúchán ar fáil in Ollscoil naRíona. Níl aon áiseanna ann le staidéar adhéanamh trí Ghaeilge ag an tríú leibhéal taobhamuigh de na hOllscoileanna. Ach de thoradhtaighde atá déanta ag POBAL tá éileamh suntasachi measc na ndaltaí i meánscoileanna lánGhaeilgear leanúint dá n-oideachas iarmheánscoile trímheán na Gaeilge.

Taobh istigh de spiorad na Cairte ba chóir abheith ag cothú áiseanna oideachais tríGhaeilge ar an tríú leibhéal chun angealltanas a rinneadh faoi Alt 8, e achomhlíonadh.

• Gaeilge san Oideachas Aosach

Tá sé deacair figiúirí beachta a fháil faoi na micléinn atá ag freastal ar ranganna Gaeilge dodhaoine fásta. De réir na bhfigiúrí atá ag InstitiúidBhéal Feirste don Ardoideachas agus don Bhreis-oideachas áfach (ceann de na forais is mó achuireann ranganna Gaeilge ar fáil d’aosaigh imBéal Feirste) chláraigh thart faoi 180024 macléinn i ranganna Gaeilge na hinstitiúide sin sascoilbhliain 2001-2002. Cuireann cuid mhóreagraíochtaí ranganna ar fáil, foraisbhreisoideachais, na hollscoileanna, grúpaí pobailagus grúpaí deonacha. Tá ranganna ar fáil goforleathan mar sin do dhaoine, ar a laghad snaáiteanna mórdhaonra agus in áiteanna eile inabhfuil múinteoirí áitiúla le fáil. Thiocfadh a rááfach gur córas ad-hoc atá ann go fóill gan aonléargas soiléir ar riachtanais nó ar chuspóirí nabhfoghlaimeoirí agus ar an dóigh le hiad seo abhaint amach. Tá gá le comhordú níos fearr ar ansoláthar le seans ceart a thabhairt do nafoghlaimeoirí líofacht a bhaint amach sa teanga.Tá gá ar leith le dianchúrsaí a chur ar fáil, cúrsaí athugann cosáin shoiléire tríd na céimeannaéagsúla cumais. Tá riachtanais ann fosta dothraenáil níos cuimsithí do na múinteoirí a bheidhag teagasc Gaeilge d’aosaigh. I réimse seo anoideachais aosaigh is féidir cuid mhór a fhoghlaimó na córais tá ar siúl i dtíortha eile ar nós naBreataine Bige agus Thír na mBascach, áit a bhfuilan scéal, a bheag no a mhór, mar a gcéanna.

27

There is no provision to study through the mediumof Irish at third level in Northern Ireland. However,research conducted by POBAL showed that there issubstantial demand among pupils in Irish-mediumsecond level schools, for continuing their post-school education through Irish.

Within the spirit of the Charter, the issue ofaccess to Irish-medium education at thirdlevel, should be actively pursued, in orderto fully implement the commitment madeunder Article 8, e.

• Irish in Adult Education

Reliable figures on the numbers of students whoattend Irish classes for adults are not readilyavailable. However, figures provided by the BelfastInstitute of Further and Higher Education (one ofthe key providers of Irish classes for adults inBelfast) show that some 180024 students wereenrolled in Irish classes provided by the Institute in2001/2002. Classes are provided by a wide varietyof organisations, including further educationinstitutes, the universities andcommunity/voluntary organisations. Thus, classesare widely available (at least in the larger centresof population and other areas where there arelocal teachers). However, the provision could bedescribed as ad-hoc, with a lack of clear focus onthe needs and objectives of learners and on howthese can be achieved. There is a need for greaterco-ordination of provision in order to give learnersa realistic opportunity to become fluent in thelanguage. An important area here is the need forgreater provision of intensive courses, with clearpathways through the various levels ofcompetence. There is also a need for morecomprehensive provision of training for thoseteaching Irish to adults. In the area of adulteducation, much can be learned from the systemsin place in other countries, such as Wales and theBasque country, where the language situation issimilar.

24Tá cúrsaí lánaimseartha agus páirt-aimseartha san áireamh anseo. 24This includes full-time and part-time courses

I láthair tábhacht na bhfoghlaimeoirí fásta ineartú na dteangacha réigiúnda nómionlaigh, ba chóir an soláthar reatha donGhaeilge san oideachas aosach a fhorbairtar dhóigh shamhlaíoch aguschomhordaithe, agus aithris a dhéanamh arnósanna ar éirigh leo thar lear.

TRÁCHT AR THUAIRISC AN RIALTAISCHUIG COMHAIRLE NA HEORPA

Leathanach 46 – I dtaca leis an réamhscolaíocht tríGhaeilge is éigean a lua nach bhfuil soláthar arleith luaite don earnáil seo taobh istigh de ‘ClárForbartha don Oideachas Réamhscoile’. Níl aonaitheantas ann ar na riachtanais san oideachaisdátheangach nó ar na fadhbanna maoinithe athéann leis.

Cé go maíonn an tuairisc oifigiúil go bhfuilbunmhaoiniú curtha ar fáil do Altram ní léiríonnseo an scéal reatha ar chor ar bith. Cuireadhmaoiniú gearrthréimhse ar fáil do rudaí ar leithach níl cinnteacht ar bith ann go fóill go mbeidhbunmhaoiniú ar fáil.25

Tugann an tagairt do ‘Forbairt Naonraí Teo.’ le fiosgo bhfuil an foras seo bainteach le forbairt naréamhscolaíochta Gaeilge sna Sé Chontae. Níoibríonn an eagraíocht seo faoi láthair ach ibPoblacht na hÉireann áfach. De bharr an bhrú óna heagraíochtaí Gaeilge sa Tuaisceart is cosúilanois go n-athrófar bunreacht an fhoraisréamhscoile seo chun réimse uile-Éireannach adhéanamh den réimse oibre. Tá sé ráite cheanaáfach nach mbeidh maoiniú ar bith ar fáil do na SéChontae.

Maidir leis an leasú ar na critéir inmharthanachtado scoileanna i Mí na Nollag 2002, cé go ndeir antuairisc oifigiúil go mbaineann sé seo leGaelscoileanna agus le scoileanna trasphobail bachóir a chur san áireamh go mbaineann sé le gachbunscoil sa Tuaisceart. Ní taca ar leith nó tacabreise ar bith é do na Gaelscoileanna. Thairis sincé go gcuirfear maoiniú ar fáil do bhunscoiltuaithe a bhfuil dháréag dálta uirthí sa tuaith,fanann na critéir do na réamhscoileanna agseisear déag. Is léir go bhfuil seo ag teacht salachar na rialacháin do na bunscoileanna agus is bac éar fhorbairt na Gaelscolaíochta ag leibhéalréamhscoile.

28In view of the significant contribution ofadult learners to the strengthening ofregional/minority languages, currentprovision for Irish in adult education,should be developed in a co-ordinated andinnovative way, drawing on successfulmodels from other countries.

COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Page 46 – In relation to Irish-medium pre-schooleducation, it should be noted that there is nospecific provision for this sector within the ‘Pre-school Education Expansion Programme’. Thus,there is no recognition of the specific needs ofbilingual education nor of the fundingimplications of this.

While the official report states that ‘core funding’has been provided for Altram, this gives aninaccurate picture of the current situation. Short-term funding has been provided for specificprojects and there is no indication that corefunding will be provided.25

The reference to Forbairt Naíonraí Teo. suggeststhat this body is involved in the development ofIrish-medium pre-school education in the sixcounties of the north of Ireland. However, atpresent this organisation operates only in theRepublic of Ireland. As a result of pressure fromIrish-medium educational organisations in thenorth of Ireland, it seems likely that theconstitution of the pre-school body will be alteredto include a reference to an all-Ireland remit.However, it has been confirmed that funding willnot be available for the six counties.

In relation to the change in the viability criteria forschools in December 2000, while the official reportstates that this applies to Irish-medium andintegrated schools, it should be noted that thisapplies to all primary schools in Northern Ireland.Thus, it does not represent a specific measure insupport of Irish-medium schools. In addition,while funding will be provided for a primaryschool with an enrolment of 12 pupils in a ruralarea, the enrolment criteria for pre-schoolsremains at 16. Clearly, this is in conflict with theregulations regarding primary schools andconstitutes an obstacle to the development ofIrish-medium education at pre-school level.

25Fuarthas eolas ar staid reatha (i dtaca le maoiniú srl.) eagraíochtaíag obair i réimse an oideachais lánGhaeilge ó Chomhairle naGaelscolaíochta.

25Information on the current situation (with regard to funding etc.)of organisations working in the area of Irish-medium education wasobtained from Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta

Leathanach 47 – I dtaca le Gaeloiliúint, grúpadeonach a thacaíonn le Gaelscolaíocht, is fiú a luagur ar feadh bliana amháin a mhairfidh anmaoiniú a luaíodh sa tuairisc oifigiúil, sin maoiniúó Fhoras na Gaeilge. Diúltaíodh tuilleadhmaoinithe a thabhairt agus is éadócha go mbeidhmaoiniú ar bith ann tar éis deireadh na bliana seo.Is ábhar inmí mór do phobal na Gaeilge é an diúltúseo ar mhaoiniú a thabhairt do cheann de naheagrais neamhrialtasacha is mó atá ag obair iréimse na Gaelscolaíochta.

Is fiú a lua fosta gur rud fíorbheag an maoiniú atáá thabhairt do GESO, grúpa deonach atá ag obair iréimse na sainriachtanas agus na Gaelscolaíochta.I láthair na huaire tá oibrí amháin fostaithe agGESO. Tá an scéal céanna ag baint le cuid mhóreagraíochtaí deonacha atá gníomhach i réimse anbhreisoideachais agus na hoiliúna trí mheán naGaeilge, nó tá acmhainní fíortheoranta acu dágcuid oibre. Is fiú a chuimhniú go bhfuil naheagraíochtaí seo ag obair i reimsí ina n-aithnítearbearnaí móra sa soláthar do Ghaeilgeoirí. Tá siadag déanamh oibre tábhachtaí don phobal, arbheagán costais don Stát.

Mar a luaíodh cheanna tá gá le meadú suntasachmaoinithe don Áis-aonad (an foras a chuireannábhar teagaisc ar fáil don Ghaelscolaíocht) má táfreastal ceart le déanamh ar riachtanais nanGaelscoileanna. Cé go n-abraítear sa tuairiscfosta go bhfuil an t-Áis-aonad gníomhach inearnáil na hiarbhunscolaíochta caithfear a rá gogcuireann an tAonad áiseanna ar fáil dobhunscoileanna agus d’iarbhunscoileanna araon.Leis an fhírinne a rá, is mó an soláthar a rinne sédo bhunscoileanna ná do na hiarbhunscoileannago dtí seo.

Tugann POBAL faoi deara fosta nach bhfuil tagairtar bith ann do stádas na teanga i scoileanna Béarlaan Tuaiscirt. Is cruthúnas é seo ar an easpatuisceana faoi impleachtaí na bhforálacha abhaineann leis an oideachas faoi Alt 8 (Para a-d).Cé gur iarr muid ar shoiléiriú faoin ábhar seo ónRoinn Oideachais, ní bhfuair muid go fóill aonfhreagra ar litir a cuireadh chuig an Roinn i Mí naBealtaine 2002.

29

Page 47 -– With regard to Gaeloiliúint, a voluntarygroup which supports Irish-medium education, itshould be noted that the funding from Foras naGaeilge, as referred to in the official report, hasbeen granted for a period of one year only andthat further funding has been refused. It seemsunlikely that this funding will be renewed afterthis year. The withdrawal of funding from theprincipal non-governmental organisation workingin the area of Irish-medium education, is ofserious concern to the Irish language community.

It should also be noted that the funding providedfor GESO – the voluntary group that works in thearea of special needs and Irish-medium education– is limited. At present, GESO has one paid worker.Similarly to the voluntary organisations involved inthe area of Irish-medium further education andtraining, these groups have very limited resourceswith which to carry out their work. In addition,these organisations are working in areas wherethere are recognised gaps in service provision forIrish speakers, and they could conceivably beviewed as carrying out essential work, at a very lowcost to the State.

As noted earlier, there is a need for substantiallyincreased funding for the Áisaonad (the resourcecentre for teaching materials in Irish-mediumeducation), in order to meet the needs of the Irish-medium sector. It should also be noted that whilereference is made to the work of the Áisaonad inthe section on post-primary education, the Unitprovides resources for both primary and post-primary schools and in fact, the output has beenmost substantial in the area of resources forprimary schools, to date.

POBAL also notes the omission of any reference tothe position of the Irish language in English-medium schools in Northern Ireland. This reflectsthe lack of clarity about the practical implicationsof the provisions selected to apply to educationunder Article 8 (paragraphs a-d). While we haverequested clarification on this from theDepartment of Education, we have yet to receive aresponse to a letter sent to the Department in May2002.

Alt 9 - Údaráis Dhlíthiúla

Faoin alt seo roghnaíodh paragraf amháin, (3) donGhaeilge. Tá sé deacair do phobal na Gaeilgeglacadh leis seo mar chomhlíonadh ar naprionsabail atá leagtha amach i gCuid II denChairt. Tuigeann muid chomh maith ar ndóigháfach gur gá an dlí a athrú sular féidir forálachabreise a ghlacadh faoin alt seo. Deir an tAcht umRiaradh Ceartais (Teanga) (Éire) 1737, gurb éigeanimeachtaí go léir na cúirte a reáchtáil i mBéarla.

Maidir leis an ghealltanas go mbeidh leaganGaeilge ann de na téacsanna náisiúntareachtaíochta is tábhachtaí, bhí sé deacair agPOBAL aon eolas a fháil faoin dul chun cinn a bhídéanta. An chéad eolas a fuair muid ó OifigThuaisceart Éireann, léirigh sé go raibh freagrachtan ghealltanais seo glactha ag SeirbhísChúirteanna Thuaisceart na hÉireann ach inadhiaidh sin fuair muid eolas go bhfuil an RoinnCultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta i mbun stiúradhna hoibre seo. (Féach tuairim faoin tuairisc oifigiúilthíos).

Sa tuairisc (2000) a chuir an Grúpa umAthbhreithniú ar an Cheart Choiriúil amach,maíodh go n-amharcfaí ar úsáid na Gaeilge snacúirteanna mar chuid d’fhorbairt an pholasaíghinearálta d’úsáid na Gaeilge sa saol poiblí. Saphlean feidhmithe a d’fhoilsigh Rialtas naBreataine ar mholtaí an Ghrúpa Athbhreithnitheseo is cosúil go bhfuil siad i ndiaidh glacadh leis anmholadh seo agus go bhfuil Seirbhís ChúirteannaThuaisceart na hÉireann ag déanamh machnaimhair i gcomhairle le Ranna eile den Fheidhmeannas.

Is beag an scóip a thairgeann Alt 9 denChairt do chothú na Gaeilge sa chórasdlíthiúil. Chun an scéal seo a leasú tá gá lereachtaíocht nua chun díchur a dhéanamhar na bacanna atá ar an Ghaeilge snacúirteanna faoi láthair.

TRÁCHT AR THUAIRISC AN RIALTAISCHUIG COMHAIRLE NA hEORPA

Leathanach 49 - Fáiltíonn POBAL roimh an scéalgo bhfuil tús curtha ar leaganacha Gaeilge de natéacsanna reachtúla a chur ar fáil. Ach is beageolas atá ann faoin dóigh a roghnófar natéacsanna seo atá le foilsiú i nGaeilge agus ar nacritéir atá roghnaithe. Os rud é gur obair bhuan a

30Article 9 – Judicial Authorities

Under this article, one paragraph (3) has beenselected to apply to Irish. From the standpoint ofthe Irish language community, this can hardly beviewed as complying with the principles outlinedin Part II of the Charter. However, it is clear thatthere is a need for legislative change beforeadditional provisions could be adopted under thisarticle. The Administration of Justice (Language)Act (Ireland) 1737 states that all court proceedingsmust be conducted in English.

In relation to the undertaking to issue Irishlanguage versions of the ‘most important nationalstatutory texts’, POBAL had difficulty in obtaininginformation on progress made on this provision.Initial information from the Northern IrelandOffice indicated that the Northern Ireland CourtsService had responsibility for this undertaking,although our most recent information is that DCALwill oversee this work (see comment on officialreport – below).

In their report (2000), the Criminal Justice ReviewGroup recommended that ‘… consideration of the use of the Irish languagein courts be taken forward in the wider context ofthe development of policy on the use of Irish inpublic life generally’. In their Implementation Planon the review group proposals, the BritishGovernment indicate that they have accepted thisproposal and that it is being considered by theNorthern Ireland Courts Service, in consultationwith other Executive departments.

The provision adopted under Article 9 of theCharter offers very limited scope for thepromotion of the use of Irish in the judicialsystem. In order to improve this situation,there is a need for the introduction oflegislation to remove the currentrestrictions relating to the use of Irish in thecourts.

COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Page 49 – POBAL welcomes the fact that work hasbegun on producing Irish language versions ofstatutory texts. However, there is a lack ofinformation on the basis for selecting the texts tobe produced in Irish and the rationale behind this.

bheidh i gceist, ba chóir na critéir do roghnú nadtéacsanna a fhoilseofar go dátheangach ashoiléiriú.

Alt 10 Údaráis Riaracháin agus Seirbhísí Poiblí

Tugann na forálacha a roghnaíodh don Ghaeilgefaoí Alt 10 fairsingeacht bhreise chun an Ghaeilgea úsáid le roinnt foras poiblí. Go dtí pointe áirithe,is ionann sin agus séala oifigiúil a chur archleachtas a bhí ann roimhe nó le tamall maithanuas ba ghnách le forais phoiblí glacadh lecomhfhreagras i nGaeilge roimh an Chairt atheacht i bhfeidhm. (I dtuairisc a d’eisigh anCoiste um Riaradh an Cheartais i 199326, tá faisnéisann go raibh na húdaráis sásta comhfhreagras aghlacadh i nGaeilge agus freagraí a thabhairt orthui mBéarla). Chaith POBAL cuid mhór ama agmonatóireacht chur i bhfeidhm na bhforálachaseo i dtaca leis an Chairt. Scríobhadh i nGaeilge,chuig na heagraíochtaí seo leanas agus fiosraíodhfaoi chur i bhfeidhm na bhforálacha a bhain leglacadh le comhfhreagras i nGaeilge:

• Ranna den Fheidhmeannas (10)27

• Comhairlí Ceantair (26)• Boird Sláinte agus Seirbhísí Sóisialta (4)• Boird Oideachais agus Leabharlainne (5)• Forais Phoiblí eile (Ioncam Intíre, Feidhmeannas

Tithíochta, Gníomhaireacht na Seirbhísí Sóisialta).

De réir monatóireachta s’againne is léir go bhfuilna Ranna Rialtais uilig ag comhlíonadh anriachtanais faoi ghlacadh le comhfhreagras inGaeilge. Sna freagraí a thug siad dúirt na Rannagur ghnách leo na litreacha a aistriú go Béarlataobh istigh de 48 uair an chloig. Tá anphríomhfhreagracht ar an Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíonagus Fóillíochta d’fheidhmiú na Cairte, trí mheánan Aonad Éagsúlacht Teanga. Tá an chraobh seo indiaidh seirbhísí aistriúcháin a chomhordú donFheidhmeannas agus deir na Ranna uilig go bhfuilionadaithe acu ar an Ghrúpa idir-Rannach donChairt a chuir an Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta ar bun.

31

Since it is likely that this work will be ongoing, it isimportant that the criteria for selecting the texts tobe produced bilingually are clarified.

Article 10 – Administrative Authorities andPublic Services

The provisions selected to apply to the Irishlanguage under Article 10, provide significantlyincreased scope to use Irish in dealings with arange of public bodies. To some extent, this meansgiving formal effect to previously establishedpractice, since for example, it was common forpublic bodies to accept correspondence in Irishprior to the coming into effect of the Charter. (In areport issued by the Committee on theAdministration of Justice in 199326, there isevidence that the authorities were prepared toaccept correspondence received in Irish, and toreply in English).

A major part of POBAL’s work in relation to theCharter was devoted to monitoring theimplementation of these provisions.

The following organisations were contacted byletter (in Irish) with enquiries aboutimplementation of the requirement to acceptcorrespondence in Irish:

• Executive departments (10)27

• District councils (26)• Health and Social Service Boards (4)• Education and Library Boards (5)• Other public bodies (Inland Revenue, Housing

Executive, Social Service Agency)

Based on our monitoring, it is clear that theExecutive Departments are all complying with therequirement to accept correspondence in Irish. Intheir replies, the departments reported that letterswere generally translated into English within 48hours. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure(DCAL) has lead responsibility for theimplementation of the Charter, through itsLinguistic Diversity Unit. The Unit has co-ordinatedtranslation services for the Executive and allDepartments stated that they were represented onthe Interdepartmental Charter Group, which wasset up by DCAL.

26CAJ (1993) Staid agus Stádas na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart na Éireann

27Ní chuireann seo san áireamh oifig an Chéad Aire agus anLeasChéad Aire (ar socraíodh cruinniú leo faoi chúrsaí na Cairte).

26CAJ (1993) Staid agus Stádas na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart na hÉireann

27This does not include the Office of the First Minister and DeputyFirst Minister (with whom a meeting was arranged in relation to theCharter)

Cé nach bhfuil siad faoi cheangal dlí ag naforálacha a roghnaíodh, tá sé de nós ag roinntRann den Fheidhmeannas freagraí Gaeilge athabhairt ar litreacha Gaeilge. Mar fhreagra ar anchéad litir ó POBAL scríobh ceithre Roinn freagraí inGaeilge: An Roinn Sláinte, Seirbhísí Sóisialta agusSábháilteachta Poiblí, An Roinn Airgeadais agusPearsanra, An Roinn Talmhaíochta agus ForbairtTuaithe agus an Roinn Oideachais. De bhreis airsin thaispeáin an comhfhreagras a bhí againn lehOifig an Chéad Aire agus an LeasChéad Aire gobhfuil polasaí acu freagraí Gaeilge a thabhairt arlitreacha Gaeilge.

Tá treoracha tugtha amach d’fhoireann na RoinneOideachais a bheadh ina sampla maith do naRanna eile. Dúradh leis an fhoireann gur chóirdóibh:

• freagra Gaeilge a thabhairt ar litir Ghaeilge,• freagra Gaeilge a thabhairt ar litir dhátheangach

(Gaeilge agus Béarla) agus• leagan Gaeilge den seoladh a úsáid nuair is cuí é sin.

Maidir leis an phointe dheireanach seo thaispeáinan comhfhreagras a bhí ag POBAL le Ranna Rialtaisagus le forais phoiblí eile gur ghnáthchleachtas éleaganacha Gaeilge de na seoltaí a aistriú goBéarla agus iad ag tabhairt freagra.

Clúdaíonn Alt 10, l (a) cumarsáid labhartha chomhmaith le cumarsáid scríofa. Mar chuid dá thogramonatóireachta ghlaoigh POBAL ar dheich Roinnden Fheidhmeannas i Mí Eanáir 2002, agus d’iarrmuid fiosrúchán a dhéanamh i nGaeilge. Faoiláthair bíonn áis ghuthphoist ar fáil mar a dtigteachtaireacht a fhágáil i nGaeilge mura mbíonnteacht ar bhall den fhoireann atá líofa sa Ghaeilgeagus cumasach le déileáil leis an iarratas. Molannan teachtaireacht seo do dhaoine a bhfuil gnópráinneach acu glaoch ar ais i mBéarla.

Thaispeáin an triail seo dúinn go mbíonn sédeacair ag bunús na bhfoirne an Ghaeilgelabhartha a aithint agus go mbionn siadamhrasach faoin dóigh le freagra a thabhairt.Thaispeáin sé fosta go raibh cuid den fhoireannaineolach faoi na modhanna le teacht ar anghuthphost Gaeilge. (Sna teagmhálacha leis nadeich Roinn seo, aistríodh muid 8 uair go dtí antseirbhís seo agus dhá uair chuig an ghuthphostBéarla). Bhí moill mhór ann, moill choicíse sulabhfuair muid freagraí ar na teachtaireachtaí seo.

32While the provisions selected to apply to the Irishlanguage do not require that replies are issued inIrish, a number of Executive Departments have apolicy of responding in Irish to correspondencereceived in Irish. In response to the initial letterfrom POBAL, four Departments issued writtenresponses in Irish (Department of Health, SocialServices and Public Safety, Department of Financeand Personnel, Department of Agriculture andRural Development and the Department ofEducation). In addition, correspondence with theOffice of the First Minister and Deputy FirstMinister shows that they have a policy of issuingreplies in Irish, to correspondence received inIrish.

The guidelines on the use of Irish issued to staff inthe Department of Education provide a usefulmodel for other departments. Staff have beeninformed that they should:

• Respond in Irish to correspondence received in Irish • Respond in Irish to correspondence received in

bilingual form (i.e Irish and English) • Use Irish versions of addresses where appropriate

In relation to this last point, POBAL’scorrespondence with government Departmentsand other public bodies shows that it is commonpractice to translate Irish versions of addresses toEnglish, when replying to correspondence.

Article 10, 1 (a) covers verbal as well as writtencommunication. As part of POBAL’s monitoringproject, we telephoned the ten ExecutiveDepartments (in January 2002) and requested tomake an enquiry in Irish. At present, a voice-mailfacility is provided, where it is possible to leave amessage in Irish, if it is not possible to speak to amember of staff who is both fluent in Irish andcompetent to deal with the request. The messageadvises those with urgent business to phone backin English.

This exercise showed that most staff have difficultyrecognising spoken Irish, and are unsure how torespond initially. It also indicated that some staffwere unaware of the procedures for accessing theIrish language voice-mail facility. (Of the tenDepartments, in eight cases we were transferred tothis service and in two cases to the English voice-mail facility). There was a considerable delay – oftwo weeks – before we received a response to thesemessages.

Rinne muid teagmháil ar na mallaibh leis naRanna agus is léir fós go bhfuil cuid mhórtranglaim ann faoin dóigh le déileáil le glaonnaGaeilge. Tá sé le feiceáil fosta áfach go bhfuilbiseach ann maidir leis an am a ghlacann sé nateachtaireachtaí a fhreagairt.

Nuair a scríobh muid fiosrúchán faoi fheidhmiú naCairte dúirt Roinn Feidhmeannais amháin guraimsigh siad roinnt cainteoirí Gaeilge i measc nafoirne a bheadh sásta déileáil le hiarratais gutháini nGaeilge.

Thairis seo, baineann ceist na cumarsáidelabhartha leis na cruinnithe a bhíonn againn leisan Fheidhmeannas. Cuireann an Feidhmeannasseirbhís aistrúcháin ar fáil do na cruinnithe nuair aiarrtar é. Ach mura n-iarrtar sin roimh ré isghnách leis na cruinnithe seo bheith i mBéarla.Creideann POBAL gur chóir go mbeadh sé inaghnáthchleachtas go socrófaí córas aistriúcháin aúsáid nuair a bhíonn Gaeilgeoirí páirteach igcruinnithe. Chomh maith leis sin, is léir doPOBAL ar na cruinnithe sin nach mbíonnaistriúchán chomhuaineach ar fáil. Fágann sin gombíonn an t-aistritheoir páirteach sa chruinniú,rud a bhíonn ina bhac mór ar an chumarsáid. Isléir fosta nach bhfuil córas caighdeánach ar bithann do na cineálacha seo aistriúcháin. Aistríonncuid de na daoine focal ar fhocal agus déananndaoine eile aistriúchán saor ar an rud a deirtear. Iscosúil nach dtugtar taca nó oiliúint mhaith do nadaoine a bhfuiltear ag iarraidh orthu an tseirbhísspeisialta seo a sholáthar.

Cé go mbaineann an méid seo thuas le taithís’againne ar fheidhmiú na bhforálacha cuí denChairt i leith na Gaeilge, tá na forálacha sonraithea roghnaíodh iontach teoranta.

• Is geall le caoinfhulaingt é an fhoráil a deir gonglacfar le litreacha Gaeilge ach gan freagra Gaeilgea thabhairt. Ní cothú dearfach é seo mar a moladhsa Chairt.

• I dtaca leis an chumarsáid bhéil níl aon deis cheartann teagmháil a dhéanamh leis na forais phoiblíchuí trí Ghaeilge. Is féidir mar shamplateachtaireacht thaifeadtha i nGaeilge a fhágáil ach(de réir taithí s’againne) tagann na freagraí gohiondúil i mBéarla agus fágtar an Gaeilgeoir lerogha an dhíogha, leanúint den rud trí Bhéarla, nóleanúint de bheith de shíor ag fágáilteachtaireachtaí Gaeilge ar an ghuthphost.

33

More recent contact with departments indicatesthat there is still considerable confusion abouthow to respond to callers speaking Irish. However,there also seems to have been an improvement inrelation to the time taken to respond to messages.

In response to our written enquiries on theimplementation of Charter, one ExecutiveDepartment stated that they had identified anumber of Irish speakers among their staff, whowould be prepared to deal with telephone requestsin Irish.

Verbal communication with the ExecutiveDepartments also relates to the use of Irish duringmeetings with officials. The Executive provides atranslation service for meetings, on request.However, in the absence of specific requests forIrish/English translation, it is assumed thatmeetings will be conducted through English.POBAL believes that it should be standard practiceto make arrangements for translation, where Irishspeakers are participating in meetings. In addition,it has been POBAL’s experience of such meetingsthat simultaneous translation facilities are notprovided, and so the translator participates in themeeting, which tends to have the effect ofhindering communication. It is also apparent thatthere is no standardised format for this type oftranslation in use at present. Some translatorstranslate verbatim while others paraphrase. Thereis a question mark over the extent of support andtraining available for those who are being asked toprovide this highly specialised service.

While the above discussion relates to our findingson the implementation of the relevant Charterprovisions as they apply to Irish, the specificmeasures selected are quite limited.

• The provision to accept correspondence in Irish, butnot to issue replies in the same language represents‘tolerance’ of the language, as opposed to activepromotion as advocated throughout the Charter.

• In relation to verbal communication there is nomeaningful opportunity to communicate with therelevant public bodies through Irish. Thus, it ispossible to leave a recorded message in Irish, butresponses are (in our experience) delivered throughEnglish, and Irish-speakers are left with the choice ofcontinuing through English or leaving repeatedmessages in Irish on the voice-mail facility.

Cé go bhfuil Ranna an Fheidhmeannais agcomhlíonadh forálacha na Cairte faoiláthair maidir le comhfhreagras i nGaeilgecreideann POBAL gur chóir forléiriú níosféile a thabhairt don Chairt agus ancomhfhreagras Gaeilge a fhreagairt i gcónaíi nGaeilge. Maidir leis an chumarsáidghutháin agus an chumarsáid ag cruinnithetá gá le leasú chun dul i ngleic leis nafadhbanna a luaíodh thuas.

I dtaca le cáipéisí a chur ar fáil i nGaeilge tá anRoinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta i ndiaidhleagan Gaeilge dá Plean Straitéiseach agus dáScéim Chothromais a fhoilsiú. Tá dhá Roinn denFheidhmeannas, An Roinn Sláinte agus SeirbhísíSóisialta agus Sábháilteachta Poiblí agus an RoinnOideachais, i ndiaidh polasaí dátheangach níoscuimsithí a fheidhmiú ná Roinn ar bith eile.Táirgeann an dá Roinn leagan Gaeilge, go hiomlánnó go hachomair de na cáipéisí a bhaineann leisna príomhréimsí polasaí agus idirchomhairle.Maidir leis na preasráitis ó na Ranna seo bíonnsiad i mBéarla agus i nGaeilge. Maidir leis anfhógraíocht i gcomhair earcaíochta nó tairiscintí,cuireann an Roinn Sláinte fógraí Gaeilge sna meáinGhaeilge agus fógraí dátheangacha i nuachtáináirithe eile. Níor chuir Roinn ar bith eile ábhairGhaeilge ar fáil go fóill áfach.

Is léir fosta nach bhfuil aon pholasaí comhordaithear fud na Rann Rialtais i dtaca le leaganachadátheangacha de cháipéisí agus d’ábhar eile achur ar fáil. Ó tharla an phríomhfhreagracht abheith ag an Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta i dtaca le forbairt polasaithe Gaeilgetáimid meallta go bhfuil siadsan meáite ar alaghad agus is féidir a sholáthar.

Maidir le cáipéisí agus le hábhair eolais achur ar fáil go dátheangach tá sampla dendea-chleachtas ar siúl ag cuid de Ranna anFheidhmeannais agus ba chóir na nósannasin a leathnú go dtí na Ranna eile.Chuideodh a leithéid seo chun polasaí anghnímh dhiongbháilte a chomhlíonadh deréir mar a gealladh i gCuid II den Chairt.

34While Executive Departments are currentlycomplying with the Charter provision withregard to correspondence in Irish, POBALbelieves that a more generousinterpretation of the Charter requires thatcorrespondence in Irish should be answeredin the same language. The current provisionfor telephone communication and formeetings needs to be improved to addressthe difficulties identified above.

With regard to the production of documents in theIrish language, the Department of Culture, Artsand Leisure (DCAL) has issued Irish versions of itsStrategic Plan and its Equality Scheme. TwoExecutive Departments (Department of Health,Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS),Department of Education (DENI)) have adopted amore comprehensive bilingual policy than otherDepartments. Both Departments issue Irishlanguage versions (either complete or in summaryform) of key policy and consultation documents.All press releases from these Departments areissued bilingually (English and Irish). In relation toadvertising (for example for recruitment andtenders), the DHSSPS places advertisements in Irishin the Irish language press, and bilingualadvertisements in selected newspapers. OtherDepartments have not produced material in theIrish language, to date.

However, there is an absence of a consistent policythroughout Executive Departments with regard tothe production of Irish language or bilingualversions of documents and other informationmaterial. Given the lead role of the Department ofCulture, Arts and Leisure with regard to developingpolicy on the Irish language, it is disappointing tonote that they have opted for a minimal level ofprovision.

With regard to producing documents andinformation materials bilingually, themodels of good practice already in place insome Executive Departments should beextended to other Departments. This wouldhelp to fulfil the commitment to undertake‘resolute action’ to promote the Irishlanguage, as outlined in Part II of theCharter.

ÚDARÁIS ÁITIÚLA

I gcás na cumarsáide leis na húdaráis áitiúla ba ían fhoráil a roghnaíodh don Ghaeilge ná gondéanfadh na hÚdaráis áitiúla is réigiúnachaúsáideoirí na Gaeilge agus na dteangacharéigiúnach nó mionlaigh a cheadú agus / nó aspreagadh chun ábhar scríofa agus labhartha achur i láthair sna teangacha seo. Tá an méid seoteoranta do na húdaráis sin a shíleann go bhfuillíon na gcainteoirí mór go leor sa cheantar chun nasocruithe seo a chosaint. Tá an scéal seo mar angcéanna no beagán níos lú ná an fhoráil aroghnaíodh i gcomhair an lár-ionaid riaracháin (Isé sin Feidhmeannas Thuaisceart Éireann).

Tá 26 Comhairle Ceantair i dTuaisceart nahÉireann agus mar a dúradh thuas chuaigh muid idteagmháil scríofa leo i nGaeilge a fhiosrú faoi nasocruithe a bhí déanta faoi Alt 10 den Chairt.Cuireadh an chéad litir chuig na Comhairlí, is é sin,chuig an Phriomhfheidhmeannach, i Mí Feabhra2002 agus fuair muid seacht bhfreagra scríofauirthi seo. Rinneadh teagmháil leis na 19 eile arísi Mí na Bealtaine 2002 agus tháinig 7 freagra breisemar gheall uirthi sin faoi lár Lúnasa 2002. Fuairmuid chomh maith roinnt glaonna gutháin agiarraidh orainn ár litreacha a aistriú agus roinntdíobh a bhí iontach doicheallach roimh rud ar bitha fháil a bhí scríofa i nGaeilge. Léirigh na freagraísin roinnt de na ceisteanna a bhaineann ledearcadh na gComhairlí Ceantair faoin Chairt.

• Sna freagraí tosaigh (idir scríofa agus labhartha)dúradh linn nach bhfuair na Comhairlí aon eolasfaoin Chairt roimh go luath i 2002. I ndiaidh dúinna bheith i dteagmháil go díreach leis an RoinnComhshaoil, atá freagrach as na húdaráis áitiúla,insíodh dúinn gur scaipeadh eolas faoin Chairt ar naComhairlí i mí Mhárta 2002 agus go gcuirfí eolasbreise chucu i ndiaidh cúpla pointe a shoiléiriú.D’inis trí Chomhairle Ceantair dúinn go raibh anRoinn Comhshaoil ar lorg comhairle dlí faoi cé acu abhainfeadh forálacha Alt 10 den Chairt leis naComhairlí Ceantair. Tá an cheist seo socraithe gosásúil anois agus scaip an Roinn na Ciorcláin ar naComhairlí Ceantair faoi dheireadh Iúil 2002 agusdúirt go mbeadh ceangal Cairte ar na ComhairlíCeantair faoi Alt 10.28

• Mar a tharla i gceist na Rann Rialtais tá polasaitheag cuid de na Comhairlí cheana a théann níos faidená dualgais na Cairte agus fuair muid freagraíscríofa i nGaeilge ó 6 Comhairle.

35

LOCAL AUTHORITIES

In relation to communications with localauthorities, the provision selected for the Irishlanguage states that local and regional authoritiesshould ‘allow and/or encourage the possibility forusers of regional or minority languages to submitoral or written applications in these languages’.This is limited to those authorities where theproportion of speakers of the regional/minoritylanguage ‘justifies’ these measures. This is a similar(though somewhat weaker) provision to thatselected to apply to the central administration (i.ethe Northern Ireland Executive).

There are 26 District Councils in the north ofIreland and as noted above, we contacted them inwriting (in Irish) with an enquiry about thearrangements for complying with Article 10 of theCharter. The first letter was sent to the Councils (tothe Chief Executives) in February 2002, and wereceived seven written responses to this. Theremaining 19 Councils were contacted secondly inMay 2002 and this yielded 7 further writtenresponses by mid August 2002. We also received anumber of phone calls asking for our letters to betranslated, including some quite hostile reactionsto being contacted through Irish. The responseshighlighted a number of issues regarding theapproach to the Charter in the District Councils:

• The initial responses (in writing and by telephone)from the councils indicated that they had notreceived any information about the Charter by early2002. Following direct correspondence with theDepartment of the Environment (which hasresponsibility in relation to local authorities), wewere informed that information on the Charter hadbeen circulated to the councils in March 2002 andthat more detailed advice would be issued,following clarification of a number of issues. Wewere informed by three District Councils that theDepartment of the Environment had sought legalguidance on whether the provisions of Article 10 ofthe Charter would apply to the District Councils. Thishas been successfully resolved and the Departmentof the Environment issued a circular to the DistrictCouncils at the end of July 2002, which confirmedthat Councils would be bound by the Chartercommitments under Article 10.28

• As in the case of the Executive Departments, somecouncils have existing policies which go beyond theCharter requirements and we received writtenresponses in Irish from six Councils.

28An Roinn Comhshaoil, European Charter for Regional or MinorityLanguages – Implications for District Councils, 29 Iúil 2002.

28Department of the Environment, European Charter for Regionalor Minority Languages – Implications for District Councils, 29 July2002

• Maidir leis an chur chuige ginearálta i dTuaisceartna hÉireann i dtaca le feidhmiú na Cairte snaComhairlí Ceantair, is mór idir é agus an dearcadhatá léirithe ag Roinn Oideachais Pharlaimint nahAlban mar a dtugtar spreagadh do na ComhairlíContae agus forais phoiblí eile cloí le spiorad naCairte agus níos mó a sholáthar ná an lom-mhéid aiarrann focal na Cairte.29

ÚSÁID NA GAEILGE LE LINNDÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ

Faoi Alt. 10 2 (e) iarrtar ar an Stát úsáid na Gaeilgesa Tionól ‘a chéadú nó a spreagadh’. Léiríonntaifead oifigiúil an Tionóil go n-úsáideannmionlach de na comhaltaí beagáinín Gaeilge lelinn a gcainteanna ach úsáideann Aire amháincuid mhór Gaeilge sa Tionól. Go dtí seo spreag ancleachtas seo mana naimhdeach ó roinnt de nacomhaltaí, dream acu ag rá gur chur amú ama abhí sna cainteanna dátheangacha.30 Rinneadh anscéal seo níos measa cionn is nach raibh an córasaistriúcháin sa Tionól ag obair go hiomlán (faoiLunasa 2002) nó cé go raibh teacht ag an CheannComhairle agus na Cléirigh ar na háiseannaaistriúcháin ní raibh na gnáthchomhaltaí idteagmháil leis an chóras.

ÚSÁID NA GAEILGE SNA FORAISPHOIBLÍ (3C)

Mar chuid de thogra monatóireachta POBAL,scríobhadh i nGaeilge chuig roinnt de nasoláthraithe seirbhísí poiblí faoi na socruithe a bhíacu i dtaobh Alt 10 den Chairt. Ina measc siúd bhídream a bhí freagrach as cúrsaí sláinte agusoideachais a sholáthar, agus roinnt bheag eileforas poiblí a raibh teagmháil fhíormhinice aculeis an phobal.

Fuair muid freagraí comhordaithe ó cheithrebhord sláinte agus seirbhísí sóisialta, iad scríofa godátheangach agus ag rá go raibh siad eolach ar anAlt cuí den Chairt, is é sin ‘an dualgas i dtaobhglacadh le hiarratais a bhí scríofa i dteangachamionlaigh nó reigiúnda agus iad a aistriú "chomhfada agus ab’fheidir" ach thug siad le fios chomhmaith ‘gur ghnách leis na boird uilig gnáthchúrsaíoibre agus riaracháin a reáchtáil i mBéarla’.

36• The general approach taken in the north of Ireland

in relation to the implementation of the Charter inthe District Councils is in contrast with that taken bythe Scottish Executive Education Department, wherelocal authorities and other public bodies areencouraged to abide by the spirit of the Charter andprovide a service to Gaelic speakers, which offersmore than the minimum required under theCharter.29

USE OF IRISH DURING DEBATES

Under Article 10 2(e), the State is required to ‘allowand/or encourage’ the use of Irish in the Assembly.While the official record of debates in theAssembly shows that a minority of members usesome Irish during their contributions, at least oneminister makes extensive use of Irish in theAssembly. In the past, this has generated anegative reaction from some members, includingaccusations that the practice of making bilingualcontributions is a waste of Assembly time.30 Thissituation is exacerbated by the fact that theAssembly’s system of simultaneous translation wasnot fully operational (by August 2002). Thus, whilethe Speaker and the Clerks have access to thetranslation facilities, the members do not.

USE OF IRISH IN PUBLIC BODIES (3C)

In the course of POBAL’s monitoring project, anumber of public service providers were contactedwith enquiries (by letter, in Irish) about theirarrangements for implementing Article 10 of theCharter. This included the regional bodies withresponsibility for delivering health and educationservices and a small selection of other publicbodies, which have a high level of contact with thepublic.

The four Health and Social Service Boards issued aco-ordinated response in a bilingual format,stating that they were aware of the relevant articleof the Charter – i.e of the requirement to acceptrequests in regional or minority languages andprovide for translation, ‘as far as reasonablypossible’. However they also indicated that ‘… it ispractice within all Boards to conduct day-to-dayadministrative business in English’.

29Comhfhreagras ón Roinn Oideachais chuig Príomhfheidhmeannachna nÚdarás Áitiúil in Albain, Feabhra 2002.

30Féach Hansard – Tuairisc oifigiúil ar imeachtaí an Tionóil- 25 MeánFómhair 2000.

29Correspondence from the Education Department to the ChiefExecutives of Scottish local authorities, February 2002.

30See Hansard – Official Report of the Assembly proceedings – 25September 2000.

Tá 5 Bord Oideachais agus Leabharlainne (BOL) saTuaisceart agus faoi mhí Iúil 2002, fuair muid dháfhreagra scríofa i mBéarla ar ár gceist faoifheidhmiú Alt 10 den Chairt. Ní raibh iontu achadmháil lom ar ár litreacha agus gealltanas goraibh an t-ábhar á scrúdú. Tugann seo le fiosdúinn nach bhfuair na Boird seo treoir faoin Chairtagus ar an ábhar sin go bhfuil siad fós ag meá anfhreagra a thabharfaidh siad uirthi.

As an réimse mór foras eile atá ag solátharseirbhísí poiblí, rinne muid teagmháil le triúr ambíonn an pobal ag déanamh cuid mhaithcumarsáide leo. Ba iad seo Lucht Ioncaim Intíre,an Ghníomhaireacht Slándála Sóisialta agus anFeidhmeannas Tithíochta.

Faoi lár mhí Lúnasa 2002, fuair muid freagrascríofa i mBéarla ón Ioncam Intíre agus ónGhníomhaireacht Slándála Sóisialta (argníomhaireacht feidhmiúcháin í den RoinnForbartha Sóisialta). Dúirt siad beirt gur chloíghsiad le forálacha na Cairte agus go raibh socruithear bun acu ar aon dul leis na Ranna rialtais.

Úsáid Logainmneacha agus AinmneachaTeaghlaigh (para. 2 g & 5)

Maidir le comharthaí sráide i nGaeilgesoláthraíonn na Comhairlí Contae leagandátheangach faoi láthair má bhíonn tromlachlucht cónaí na sráide ina leith seo. Mar a dúradhin áit eile sa tuairisc seo, tá sé de nós ag roinnt dena Ranna rialtais agus ag forais phoiblí eile anleagan Gaeilge den seoladh a aistriú go Béarla agusiad ag freagairt litreacha, sin nó gan glacadh ach leleagan Béarla de sheoladh ar bith. Bíonndeacrachtaí rialta ann fosta maidir le seachadadhlitreacha a bhfuil seoladh Gaeilge orthu. Inatheannta sin is féidir go ndiúltófar a gceart ardhaoine ar mian leo an leagan Gaeilge denseoladh a úsáid má dhiúltaíonn an chomhairleáitiúil na comharthaí sráide a chur suas.

Níl aon chosc oifigiúil ar úsáid na sloinnte Gaeilge.Ach tá go leor scéalta ann a thugann fianaise ar anchéasadh a spreagann an nós sin i gcúrsaí áirithe.Mar shampla, i dtaighde ar eachtraí Gaeilgeoirí abhí i dteagmháil leis na seirbhísí sláinte satuaisceart deir Ó Hagan (2001)31 gur mhinic ganaon iarracht a dhéanamh na sloinnte a fhuaimniúi gceart nó a litriú i gceart agus uaireanta gur nochtan fhoireann fearg nó doicheall. Tá go leor scéalta

37

There are five Education and Library Boards (ELBs)in Northern Ireland, and by July (2002), we hadreceived two written replies (in English) to ourenquiries about the implementation of Article 10of the Charter. These were simplyacknowledgements of receipt of our letters andassurances that the matter was being examined.This suggests strongly that the ELBs have not beenissued with guidance on the Charter and that theyare still considering their response to it.

From the wide range of other bodies involved inproviding public services, three organisationswhich have a high level of contact with the publicwere contacted. These were the Inland Revenue,the Social Security Agency and the HousingExecutive.

By mid-August (2002), we had received writtenreplies in English from the Inland Revenue Serviceand the Social Security Agency (which is anExecutive Agency of the Department of SocialDevelopment). They both stated that theycomplied with the provisions of the Charter, withsimilar arrangements as those in place in theDepartments of the Executive.

Use of Place-Names and Family Names(paragraphs 2 g and 5)

With regard to the use of street-signs in Irish, theDistrict Councils provide bilingual versions atpresent, if a sufficient proportion of residents onthe street support this. As noted elsewhere in thereport, it is practice among some governmentDepartments (and other public bodies) to translateIrish versions of addresses to English, whenreplying to correspondence, or to insist on the useof the English version of an address. There are alsoregular difficulties with regard to the delivery ofmail addressed in Irish. In addition, those wishingto use the Irish version of their address may bedenied this right if the local council has notalready agreed to erect a bilingual street sign.

There is no official prohibition against the use ofIrish surnames. However, there is substantialanecdotal evidence that the use of Irish personalnames can attract harassment, in some contexts.For example, in a study of Irish-speakersexperiences of contact with the health services inthe north of Ireland, O’Hagan (2001)31 found thatit was common for people to report that staffmade no effort to spell or pronounce their names

31O’Hagan, Kieran (2001) op. cit. 31O’Hagan, Kieran (2001) op.cit.

ann fosta faoi mhílitriú na sloinnte fiú ag luchtcraolacháin agus ag lucht na nuachtán.

TRÁCHT AR THUAIRISC AN RIALTAISCHUIG COMHAIRLE NA hEORPA

Leathanach 49 – I dtuairisc an Rialtais cuirtear síosar na socruithe reatha do na glaonna gutháin tríGhaeilge chuig na Ranna rialtais mar ‘éascú anbhealaigh do na saoránaigh sin ar mian leo an gnóa dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge.’ Mar a dúradh cheanaáfach, (Féach leath. 32) ní thugann na socruithereatha mórán éascaíochta don chumarsáidGhaeilge agus de ghnáth, is éigean leanúint denghnó i mBéarla i ndiaidh na chéad teagmhála.

Leathanach 50 – I dtaca le Comhairle Ceantair anIúir agus Mhúrn a bhfuil polasaí dátheangachcuimsitheach aici, is fiú a lua nach féidir anpolasaí seo a chur i bhfeidhm go laethúil cionn isgur tugadh dúshlán do dhaoine taobh istigh denChomhairle. Fuair POBAL eolas go bhfuil anpolasaí dátheangach á chur faoi mheasúnachtchontúirte ar an fhoras go dtagann sé salach arfhreagrachtaí na comhairle maidir le dualgais anchothromais (faoi earnáil 75 d’Acht Thuaisceart nahÉireann). Tógann seo ceist thábhachtach faoistádas na reachtaíochta intíre faoin chothromas iláthair na Cairte, agus tá súil againn gur féidir leisan coiste seo a shoiléiriú gan mhoill. Is í tuiscintPOBAL ar an cheist go ndearbhaíonn an Chairt gosoiléir gurb eigean beart dearfach a dhéanamhchun teangacha réigiúnda nó mionlaigh a churchun cinn agus mar sin, in Alt 7 (para. 2), deirtearnach bhfuil leithcheal ar bith ar lucht namórtheanga aon chéimeanna a thugtar ar mhaithele comhstádas nó comhdheis a bhunú idir lucht nadteangacha reigiúnda nó mionlaigh agus luchtteanga an tromlaigh.

Leathanach 51 – Maidir le forbairt na seirbhíseaistriúcháin, fáiltíonn POBAL roimh an scéal gobhfuil coiste ceaptha chun caighdeáin ghairmiúladon aistriúchán béil agus scríofa a leagan síos dona seirbhísí poiblí. Maidir leis na seirbhísí atá anngo dtí seo tá fianaise ann nach mbíonn siad igcónaí sásúil. Mar shampla, ón aiseolais a fuairmuid ó chomhaltaí32 an Fhóraim Shaoránaíochta,cé go bhfuil fáilte roimh an tseirbhíschomhuaineach atá ansin, is cosúil go bhfuiloiliúint agus taca de dhíth ar na haistritheoirí achuireann an tseirbhís seo ar fáil.

38(in Irish) correctly and in some instances theyexperienced hostile reactions from staff. There arealso relatively common instances of mis-spelling ofnames, including in the broadcast and printmedia.

COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Page 49 – In the government report, the currentarrangements for making telephone contactthrough Irish with Executive Departments aredescribed as facilitating members of the public‘… who wish to conduct their business throughIrish’. However, as outlined earlier (see p.32) thecurrent arrangements provide very limitedopportunity to communicate through Irish, and allfollow-up contact is generally conducted throughEnglish. Page 50 – In relation to Newry andMourne District Council, which has acomprehensive bilingual (English/Irish) policy, itshould be noted that this policy cannot beeffectively implemented in practice, due to recentchallenges from within the Council. Thus, POBALhas received information that the bilingual policyis being subject to ‘risk assessment’ on the basisthat it contravenes the Council’s responsibilities inrelation to the Equality Duty (under Section 75 ofthe Northern Ireland Act). This raises an importantissue about the relative status of domestic equalitylegislation and the Charter and it is to be hopedthat the committee can clarify this. It is POBAL’sinterpretation that the Charter contains a clearstatement on the need for positive measures topromote regional or minority languages. Thus inArticle 7 (paragraph 2), it is stated that ‘theadoption of special measures in favour of regionalor minority languages aimed at promotingequality between the users of these languages andthe rest of the population or which take dueaccount of their specific conditions is notconsidered to be an act of discrimination againstthe users of more widely-used languages’.

Page 51 – In relation to the development of atranslation service, POBAL welcomes the fact that acommittee has been appointed to outlineprofessional standards fortranslation/interpretation in the public service.With regard to services provided to date, there isevidence to suggest that these have not alwaysbeen satisfactory. For example, feedback frommembers32 of the Civic Forum indicated that the

32Eolas ó Janet Muller agus ó Dhonncha Mac Niallais faoina dtaithíféin de bheith ag caint trí Ghaeilge ag cruinnithe san FhóramSaoránaíochta.

32Information from Janet Muller and Donncha Mac Niallais on theirexperiences of making contributions through Irish to Civic Forummeetings.

Leathanaigh 51-52 Tagraíonn tuairisc an rialtais dona tograí Gaeilge atá ar bun i SeirbhísPhóilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann. Cé go bhfuilfáilte roimh úsáid na Gaeilge in áit ar bith ba chóirgo dtuigfeadh an coiste go bhfuil fadhbannabuana ann faoi inchreidiúnacht na nuasheirbhísepóilíneachta. Ar an ábhar sin is féidir go mbeidhcuid de phobal na Gaeilge beagáinín amhrasach(más leor ‘beagáinín’ lena rá) faoi rud ar bith abheith ar siúl ag na péas mura mbíonn sé ádhéanamh ag Roinn ar bith eile den Státseirbhís.

Alt. 11 – Na Meáin

Os rud é gur rud iontach tábhachtach iad na meáini gcúrsaí teangacha mionlaigh, fáiltíonn POBALroimh an scéal gur roghnaíodh cuid mhórforálacha don Ghaeilge faoin Alt seo. Cuireann seoneart scóipe ar fáil d’fhorbairtí sa réimse seo, cégur cúis imní againn é go ndearcann cuid de nahúdaráis ar an Chairt mar ‘liosta seiceála’ de narudaí atá ar siúl cheana in áit déileáil léi mar chlároibre d’fhorbairtí breise.

Craolann BBC Thuaisceart Éireann cláir laethúla inGaeilge suas go dtí 4.5 uair sa tseachtain.Dhiúltaigh Údarás Raidió na Ríochta Aontaitheáfach ceadúnas a thabhairt le déanaí do stáisiúnGaeilge i mBéal Feirste - Raidió Fáilte – atá agcraoladh anois go mídhleathach ó Mhí Feabhra2002.

Cuireann BBC (TÉ) cláir teilifíse i nGaeilge amachroinnt uaireanta sa bhliain. Sa bhliain reatha(2001/2002), bhí suas le 16 uair de chur amach inGaeilge ann ar fad – agus 13 uair de sin inaathchraoladh ar an chlár teagaisc d’fhoghlaimeoirífásta: Now You’re Talking. Go dtí seo i mbliana níraibh ann ach 3 uair a chloig de chláir nua inGaeilge – an clár ceoil Ghaeilge Ceol igCuideachta. Níl méadú ar bith sa táirgeadhteilifíse le feiceáil ó síníodh Comhaontú Aoine anChéasta nó ó daingníodh an Chairt.

Má tá soláthar cuí de chláir Ghaeilge le craoladh aran teilifís tá gá le caighdeáin a thabhairt isteach idtaca le líon na n-uaireanta agus na dtráthannacraolta. Tá gá fosta le réimse cuimsitheach clár afhreastalaíonn ar gach aoisghrúpa: nuacht aguscúrsaí reatha, cláir fhaisnéise, cláir oideachais,dráma agus spórt.

I gcás na teilifíse go háirithe, is léir go bhfuil anBBC ag déanamh faillí sa tseirbhís do phobal na

39

provision for simultaneous translation duringmeetings, whilst welcome, could be considerablyimproved by appropriate training and support forthe translators concerned.

Pages 51/52 – The government report refers to theIrish language initiatives in place in the PoliceService of Northern Ireland. Whilst measures topromote the use of the Irish language are welcomefrom all sources, the Committee should be awarethat there are continued difficulties regarding thecredibility of the new police service. Thus, it islikely that, in the absence of similar initiatives inall other sections of the civil service, suchmeasures will be viewed with suspicion by at leastpart of the Irish language community.

Article 11- Media

In view of the widely acknowledged importance ofthe media in minority language situations, POBALwelcomes the fact that a comprehensive range ofprovisions were selected to apply to Irish, underthis article. This provides significant scope fordevelopment in this area, although POBAL isconcerned to note that some of the relevantauthorities appear to view the Charter as a‘checklist’ of existing provision rather than as anopportunity for further development.

BBC Northern Ireland currently broadcasts dailyradio programmes in Irish, amounting to 4.5 hoursper week. The Radio Authority (UK) recentlyrefused to grant a licence to a Belfast based Irishlanguage radio station – Raidió Fáilte – which hasbeen broadcasting illegally since February 2002.

BBC Northern Ireland broadcasts televisionprogrammes in Irish a few times a year. During thecurrent year (2001/2002), television output in Irishhas amounted to 16 hours – including 13 hours ofa repeat programme for adult learners of Irish –Now You’re Talking. To date this year there hasbeen three hours of new programming in Irish –the Irish music programme - Ceol i gCuideachta.Thus, there has been no increase in Irish languagetelevision output, since the signing of the GoodFriday Agreement, or since the ratification of theCharter.

Adequate provision for Irish language broadcastingon television requires the introduction ofstandards on the number of hours of Irishlanguage output, and conditions regarding the

Gaeilge, dream ar cuid mhór agus cuid bhorrachdá lucht éisteachta agus féachána iad. Is léirchomh beag agus atá an soláthar Gaeilge idTuaisceart na hÉireann nuair a chuirtear igcomparáid é le scéal na Breatnaise agus naGàidhlige é. Sa Bhreatain Bheag tá cainéal teilifísear leith ann don chraoladh tríd an Bhreatnais agustá seirbhís Raidió Breatnaise ar fáil chomh maith,Raidio Cymru. In Albain craoltar clár raidióGàidhlige ar Raidio nan Gàidheal agus maoiníonnan Rialtas an ‘Comataidh Craolaidh Gàidhlig’ lecláir teilifíse a chur ar fáil. Craoltar iadsan ar BBCagus ITV.

Tá fianaise ann fosta ar an dóigh ar theip ar nahúdaráis chraolta stádas na Gaeilge mar theangadhuchais anseo a aithint, teanga atá i dteidealcothú speisialta a fháil de réir mar atá scríofa saChairt agus sa reachtaíocht idirnáisiúnta eile. Marshampla, i litir33 chuig POBAL dúirt ceannaire nagclár i BBC Thuaisceart Éireann, gur mhó anphráinn é cláir a chur ar fáil don phobal Síneach idTuaisceart na hÉireann ná aon mhéadú adhéanamh ar na cláir Ghaeilge. Tá an cur chuigeseo ag teacht salach ar na gealltanais a rinneadhfaoin Ghaeilge de réir na Cairte.

Tá pobal na Gaeilge ag iarraidh go mbunófaí cistecraolta i dTuaisceart na hÉireann. Tá an t-iarratasseo diúltaithe ag na húdaráis go dtí seo agus támuid meallta nach bhfuil aon tagairt donchraoladh Gaeilge sa Dréacht-Bhille Cumarsáide(2002), cé go bhfuil soláthar ann don Bhreatnaisagus don Gàidhlig.

Tá an Roinn Cultúir Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta indiaidh maoiniú a chur ar fáil do chlár oiliúina idtáirgeadh teilifíse agus scannánaíochta agusreachtáladh an chéad chúrsa go luath sa bhliain2002. Cé go bhfuil seo dearfach ann féin, isleanúint é ar chúrsaí den chineál chéanna a bhíann roimhe agus tá míshástacht ann go fóill imeasc grúpaí Gaeilge sa phobal nach mbíonn aonmhaoiniú ann don táirgeadh tar éis do dhaoine ancúrsa oiliúna a dhéanamh.

40times when these programmes are broadcast. Italso requires that a comprehensive range ofprogrammes are broadcast which cater for all agegroups and include: news and current affairs,documentaries, educational programmes, drama,sport.

With regard to television in particular, it is clearthat the BBC is neglecting its public service remitin the case of Irish speakers, who make up asignificant and growing proportion of its audience.The very minimal level of provision for Irishlanguage broadcasting in Northern Ireland isclearly highlighted when compared withbroadcasting in Welsh and in Scottish Gaelic. InWales, there is a separate Welsh languagetelevision channel and the BBC provides a Welshlanguage radio service, Radio Cymru. In Scotland,radio programmes in Gaelic are broadcast onRadio nan Gàidheal and the government funds theComataidh Craolaidh Gàidhlig (the GaelicBroadcasting Committee) which producestelevision programmes in Gaelic. These arebroadcast on the BBC channels and on ITV.

There is also evidence of a failure to acknowledgethe position of the Irish language as an indigenouslanguage here, which is entitled to specificpromotion measures as outlined in the Charter,and in other international legislation. Thus forexample, in a letter33 to POBAL, the Head ofProgramming of BBC Northern Ireland, suggestedthat it was of greater priority to provideprogrammes for the Chinese community inNorthern Ireland, than to increase the provision ofIrish language programmes. This approach is atvariance with the undertakings in relation to theIrish language under the Charter.

The Irish language community has called for abroadcasting fund comparable to that in Scotland,to be established in the North of Ireland. This hasbeen refused by the authorities and it isparticularly disappointing to note the failure tomake any reference to Irish language broadcastingin the draft Communications Bill (2002), whilethere is provision for both Welsh and ScottishGaelic.

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure hasprovided funding for a training programme intelevision and film production, and the first coursewas held in early 2002. While this may be viewedas a positive initiative, it follows similar training

33Litir ó Anna Carragher, Stiúrthóir BBC (TÉ) 15ú Bealtaine 2002: ‘Iam sure you will appreciate that we have to serve a range of needsand wishes while appealing to a broad audience … Other linguisticcommunities also wish for programming – for example the largestmonoglot community in Northern Ireland, after English speakers, isthe Cantonese community.’ (Is léir nach pobal aon teanga iad luchtan Bhéarla nó lucht na Cantóinise ach oiread, sa chiall is coitianta dentéarma sin).

33Letter from Anna Carragher, Controller BBC NI, 15th May, 2002 :‘I am sure you will appreciate that we have to serve a range of needsand wishes while appealing to a broad audience … Other linguisticcommunities also wish for programming – for example the largestmonoglot community in Northern Ireland, after English speakers, isthe Cantonese community.’ (Clearly neither the English- norCantonese-speaking communities are ‘monoglot’ communities in theusual sense of the term)

Faoi láthair níl BBC Thuaisceart Éireann agcomhlíonadh gealltanas na Cairte i dtaca le‘go leor soláthair’ d’ábhar Gaeilge achraoladh. Tá gá mór mar sin le méadúsuntasach sa soláthar, rud a thiocfadh adhéanamh go héifeachtach trí ChisteCraolacháin a bhunú ar nós an ruda atá acuin Albain. Mar bharr air sin, tá gá lereachtaíocht nua chun ceangal a chur ar nacraoltoirí céatadán níos mó d’ábhar Gaeilgea chraoladh. Bá chóir go mbeadhcaighdeáin sa reachtaíocht sin i dtaca leis ansceideal craolta agus le cineál agus cáilíochtna gclár.

Tá foráil sa Chairt i dtaca le hábaltacht le teacht arsheirbhísí craolacháin sa mhionteanga i Stát bhéaldorais. Baineann seo go díreach leis an ghlacadh(caighdeán closamhairc) atá le fáil i dTuaisceart nahÉireann ar TG4, an stáisiún teilifíse Gaeilge atá arobair i bPoblacht na hÉireann. Luaíodh seo gosonrach i gComhaontú Aoine an Chéasta sna focailseo: "......an scóip atá ann chun Teilifís na Gaeilgea chur ar fáil ar bhonn níos forleithne i dTuaisceartna hÉireann a scrúdú, mar ábhar práinne, inéineacht le húdaráis iomchuí na Breataine agus igcomhar le húdaráis chraolacháin na hÉireann."

Cé go bhfuil dul chun cinn éigin bainte amach táfadhbanna ann fós maidir leis an ghlacadh atá arTG4 sa Tuaisceart. Meastar go bhféadann idir 65%agus 70% den daonra sa Tuaisceart TG4 a fheiceáil.Níl an glacadh rómhaith go fóill áfach i gcuid mhórceantar agus is féidir a rá nach léir biseach ar bithar na cúrsaí sin ón uair a síníodh an Comhaontú.

Níl go leor dul chun cinn déanta go fóill aran ghealltanas sa Chairt go mbeadh teachtar fud Thuaisceart na hÉireann ar chláir anstáisiúin teilifíse Gaeilge TG4. Tá cuid mhórmoilleanna le feiceáil i dtaca le leathnú naseirbhísí seo go dtí an Tuaisceart agus níl nafadhbanna sin réitithe go sásúil go fóill.

41

courses and there is dissatisfaction amongcommunity based Irish language groups thatprovision for training has not been followed upwith adequate funding for production.

At present BBC Northern Ireland is notmeeting the Charter commitment to make‘adequate provision’ for broadcasting in theIrish language. Thus, there is a need for asubstantial increase in provision, whichcould best be achieved by establishing aBroadcasting Fund, as exists in Scotland. Inaddition, there is a need for theintroduction of legislation to place a dutyon broadcasters to provide an increasingpercentage of Irish language programming.The legislation should also set standardswith regard to broadcasting schedules,types and quality of programming.

The Charter requirement regarding access tobroadcasting services in the minority languagefrom neighbouring states, relates directly toreception of TG4 (the Irish language televisionstation which operates from the Republic ofIreland) in the north of Ireland. This wasspecifically mentioned in the Good FridayAgreement, which states ‘…the BritishGovernment …will explore urgently with therelevant British authorities, and in co-operationwith the Irish broadcasting authorities, the scopefor achieving more widespread availability ofTeilifís na Gaeilge (now TG4) in Northern Ireland’.

While some progress has been achieved in relationto this, there are ongoing problems in relation toreception of TG4 in the North of Ireland. Thus, it isestimated that about 65-70% of the population inthe north can view TG4. However, the quality ofreception is far from satisfactory in many areasand in general, actions taken since the Agreementcan be said to have produced little discernibledifference in relation to the availability of thestation in the north of Ireland.

The Charter undertaking relating touniversal access to the Irish languagetelevision station TG4 throughout the northof Ireland is not currently being met. Theextension of this service to the North hasbeen characterised by long delays, and thishas yet to be satisfactorily resolved.

TRÁCHT AR THUAIRISC AN RIALTAISCHUIG COMHAIRLE NA hEORPA.

Leathanach 52 – Ba chóir go gcuirfeadh an Coistesan áireamh gur diúltaíodh le déanaí d’iarrataschuig Foras na Gaeilge ón nuachtan ‘Lá’ faoichoinne maoiniú a chuirfeadh an páipéar amachar bhonn laethúil san am atá le teacht.

Leathanach 52/53 – I dtaca leis an mhaoiniú atá lefáil ó Choimisiún Thuaisceart Éireann doScannánaíocht agus Theilifís, is cosúil nach bhfuilmaoiniú ar leith ann d’ábhar Gaeilge ach go bhfuilcead ag daoine aonair iarratas a chur isteach.Chomh maith leis sin, ní fios do POBAL gondearnadh poiblíocht ar bith faoin scéim seo chuninsint do ghrúpaí Gaeilge go bhfuil maoiniú le fáil.

Leathanach 53 – Tagraíonn an tuairisc don chúrsaoiliúna Gaeilge do theicneoirí sna meáin (areáchtáladh i 1997). Is fiú a lua nár cuireadh amhacasamhail de chúrsa ar bith eile ar fáil ón amsin. Níor tháinig méadú ar bith ar ábhar Gaeilge (óBBC TÉ) ón am sin ach oiread fosta.

Alt 12 – Imeachtaí agus Áiseanna Cultúrtha

Tá POBAL iontach sásta gur roghnaíodh réimsemór forálacha i dtaca le Gaeilge faoi Alt. 12. Isforálacha iontach forleathana iad mar is léir ónliosta atá déanta acu de "Imeachtaí agusÁiseanna" sonraithe.

Is in earnáil na n-ealaíon is mó a fheictear fás agusforbairt na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart na hÉireann. Is ónearnáil dheonach agus earnáil an ghnáthphobail ismó a tháinig sé agus bhí fás níos teoranta ar ansoláthar ó na forais sheanbhunaithe a bhí i mbuncultúir agus na n-ealaíon.

Is cuid bharrthábhachtach d’fhorbairt na teanga ígur bunaíodh lár-ionaid a chuireann réimse mórimeachtaí cultúrtha ar fáil agus a fhónann mar áitchruinnithe agus teagmhála do na Gaeilgeoirí. Isáit larnach í Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich dophobal na Gaeilge i mBéal Feirste agus ar fudThuaisceart na hÉireann. Bunaíodh cultúrlanna ináiteanna eile chomh maith: An Gaeláras i nDoire,Tí Chulainn in Ard Mhacha Theas, agus AnDroichead i nDeisceart Bhéal Feirste. Stáitsíonn anCompántas Amharclainne Aisling Ghéar, atálonnaithe i mBéal Feirste, drámaí Gaeilge

42COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Page 52 – The committee should note that a recentapplication by the Irish language newspaper - ‘Lá’-to Foras na Gaeilge for funding to issue the paperon a daily basis has been refused.

Pages 52/53 – With regard to the funding availablefrom the Northern Ireland Film and TelevisionCommission, it appears that no particular fundingexists for Irish programming but that individualsmay simply apply to the general fund. In addition,POBAL is not aware of any publicity about thisscheme to inform Irish language groups of theavailability of funding.

Page 53 – The report refers to the Irish-mediumtraining course for media technicians (conductedin 1997). It should be noted that no similar coursehas been provided since then. Nor has there beenany significant increase in Irish languageprogramme output (on BBC NI) since that time.

Article 12 - Cultural Activities and Facilities

POBAL welcomes the fact that a comprehensiverange of provisions were selected to apply to Irish,under Article 12. These provisions have wideapplication, as indicated in the wide range of‘activities and facilities’ identified.

The growth and development of the Irish languagein the north of Ireland is reflected in theemergence of a vibrant Irish language arts sector.This activity has originated from the communityand voluntary sector, while provision for the Irishlanguage has been more limited in established artsand cultural bodies.

The establishment of centres which provide arange of cultural activities, as well as a focal pointfor Irish speakers has been a key element in thedevelopment of the language. The Cultúrlann is akey resource for the Irish language community inBelfast and throughout the north of Ireland.Cultural centres have also been established inother areas, including An Gaeláras in Derry, TíChulainn in South Armagh, An Droichead in southBelfast. The Belfast-based theatre company AislingGhéar stages plays in the Irish language (bothoriginal works and translations), which are

(bunsaothair agus aistriúcháin) don phobal ar fudna hÉireann agus thar lear. Mar bharr air sin,bíonn roinnt féilte bliantúla agus scoileannasamhraidh ann a reáchtáiltear ar fad trí Ghaeilgenó a mbíonn gné shuntasach den Ghaeilge iontu.

Maidir le cúrsaí na n-ealaíon i nGaeilge, tagann anchuid is mó den mhaoiniú ó Chomhairle Ealaíon(TÉ) agus ó Fhoras na Gaeilge. Le blianta fadaanuas bhí na grúpaí Gaeilge iontach míshásta leisan easpa taca a fhaigheann siad ó Chomhairle nanEalaíon agus leis an easpa dearfachta snapolasaithe do chúrsaí na nEalaíon Gaeilge.Taispeánann na figiúirí is déanaí faoin mhaoiniú34

atá déanta ag Comhairle na nEalaíon nár tugadhach 0.027% de mhaoiniú 2002/2003 do na grúpaíGaeilge. Dar le POBAL, cuireann an Chairt deis arfáil chun soláthar a mhéadú sa réimse seo agus gogcaithfidh na forais chuí (leithéid Chomhairle nanEalaíon) a sciar a dhéanamh.

I dtaca le forais eile a bhfuil baint acu le solátharimeachtaí ealaíne agus cultúir níl mórán ábhairGaeilge le feiceáil ar chor ar bith. Mar shampla, isbeag an soláthar de leabhair Ghaeilge agusd’ábhair Gaeilge a bhíonn ar stoc sna leabharlannapoiblí le fada anuas. Agus sinne ag monatóireachtan scéil rinne muid teagmháil le cúig BhordOideachais agus Leabharlainne a fhiosrú faoinfhreastal a bhí á dhéanamh ag na seirbhísíleabharlainne ar phobal na Gaeilge. Agus muid ascríobh seo, bhí dhá fhreagra faighte againn.Dúradh linn go mbíonn ceannach leabhar agusábhar eile i nGaeilge ag brath ar an éileamh áitiúil.Dhearbhaigh an tAire Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta an rud céanna mar fhreagra ar cheist acuireadh sa Tionól.35 Tá sé deacair áfach céatadánan chaiteachais ar ábhair i nGaeilge a aimsiú faoiláthair, rud a dhéanann deacair é méid antsoláthair don Ghaeilge a chinntiú, sa dóigh seo arscor ar bith. (Deir an tAire go mbeidh an fhaisnéisseo ar fáil tríd an togra leictreonach do naleabharlanna, rud a bheidh réidh faoi Iúil 200336

agus beidh seo ina áis mhonatóireachta donsoláthar do na Gaeilgeoirí i seirbhísí naleabharlainne).

Os a coinne sin is léir ó na freagraí go bhfuilseirbhís na leabharlainne ag machnamh arriachtanais na nGaelscoileanna. I gceann amháinde na Boird, thuairiscigh an príomhleabharlannaígo raibh ábhar Gaeilge forbartha ag an fhoireannle húsáid le linn cuairteanna ranga ó naGaelscoileanna. I mBord eile, dúirt an

43

performed throughout Ireland and abroad. Inaddition, a number of annual festivals and schoolsare conducted entirely through Irish, orincorporate a significant Irish language element.

In the area of Irish language arts activity, the twoprincipal sources of funding are the Arts Council ofNorthern Ireland and Foras na Gaeilge. Over theyears, Irish language groups have been very criticalof the lack of support from the Arts Council and ofthe absence of a clear policy on the Irish languagearts. The most recent figures on Arts Councilfunding34 show that awards to Irish language artsgroups accounted for approximately 0.027% oftotal awards for 2002/2003. It is POBAL’s view thatthe ratification of the Charter provides anopportunity to enhance provision in this area, andthat it is imperative on the relevant bodies (such asthe Arts Council) to do so.

With regard to other bodies involved in arts andcultural provision, the Irish language has notfeatured to any great extent. For example, thestock of Irish language books and other material inpublic libraries has traditionally been veryminimal. In the course of our monitoring project,POBAL contacted the five Education and LibraryBoards, with enquiries on provision for the Irishlanguage community in the library service. At thetime of writing, we had received responses fromtwo boards. The information supplied indicatesthat decisions relating to the purchase of booksand other materials in Irish are based on localdemand. This was confirmed by the Minister forCulture, Arts and Leisure in a response to anAssembly question.35 However, information on thepercentage of expenditure on materials in Irish isnot available at present and so it is difficult toassess the adequacy of provision for the Irishlanguage (at least, in this way). (The Minister hasindicated that this information is likely to becomeavailable through the electronic libraries project,which is due for completion by July 200336, and thisshould assist in monitoring provision for Irishspeakers in the library service.)

On a more positive note, the responses to POBAL’senquiries indicated that the needs of Irish-medium schools are being considered by thelibrary services. In one ELB, the Chief Librarianreported that material in Irish had been developedby staff for use during class visits from Irish-medium schools. In another board, the librarianreported that story-telling through Irish was

34Taca Bliantúil d’Eagraíochtaí ar líonláithreán Chomhairle EalaíonThuaisceart na hÉireann (www.artscouncil-ni.org). Tagraíonn na figiúirído dheontais tugtha le linn na tréimhse Aibreán 2002- Márta 2003.

35Freagra tugtha ag Michael McGimpsey, Aire Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta ar cheist an Uasail B. Mac Giolla Dhuibh CT, 27 Bealtaine 2002.

36Freagra tugtha ag Michael McGimpsey, Aire Cultúir, Ealaíon agusFóillíochta ar cheist M. Bn. Mhic Niallais CT, 3 Bealtaine 2002.

34Annual Support for Organisations on the website of the ArtsCouncil of Northern Ireland (www.artscouncil-ni.org.). The figuresrefer to awards made for the period April 2002 –March 2003

35Response by Michael McGimpsey, Minister for Culture, Arts andLeisure to Mr.B McElduff MLA, 27 May 2002.

36Response by Michael McGimpsey, Minister for Culture, Arts andLeisure to Ms. M. Nelis MLA, 3 May 2002.

leabharlannaí go raibh scéalaíocht as Gaeilge arsiúl le linn cuairteanna na nGaelscoileanna.Reáchtálann an Bord seo ‘Lá eolais’ fosta, rud athugann deis do na grúpaí teanga eolas faoinagcuid oibre a thabhairt don phobal.

Faoi láthair, tá an Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíonagus Fóillíochta ag déanamhathbhreithnithe ar sheirbhísí leabharlainne.I bhfianaise dhaingniú na Cairte agus gosonrach i láthair na bhforálachacuimsitheacha ar glacadh leo don Ghaeilgefaoi Alt 12, ba cheart go dtabharfaí airdmhór don pholasaí Gaeilge le linn anathbhreithnithe seo.

I 1998 tháinig na ceithre iarsmalann agusdhánlann i dTuaisceart na Éireann le chéile chuneagraíocht nua a bhunú. MAGNI a baisteadhuirthi. Mar a dúirt siad sa fhreagra ar fhiosrúchánó POBAL faoi úsáid na Gaeilge sna hinstitiúidí seobhí soláthar éigin do Ghaeilgeoirí ar fáil fada goleor siar. Bhí treoirleabhar dánlainne agus ábhairoideachais i nGaeilge, bhí léiriúcháin chlos-téipeagus léachtaí i nGaeilge agus comharthaídhátheangacha ar fáil. Go dtí seo áfach, is éigeana rá gur ar bhonn teoranta ó thaobh méid agus arbhonn fánach ó thaobh ama de a bhí an solátharseo ar fáil. I gcomhthéacs dhaingniú na Cairte, tágéarghá ann le cur leis na seirbhísí seo go mór.

Go ginearálta, tá polasaí soiléir a dhíth saChomhairle Éalaíon (TÉ) chun cúrsaí ealaíontrí Ghaeilge a fhorbairt agus a chothú.Maidir le háiseanna ar nós iarsmalann agusleabharlann tá gá le haitheantas níos mó arfhás phobal na Gaeilge agus ar an ghá gombeidh teacht éasca iomlán ag an phobal arna seirbhísí seo uilig trí mheán na Gaeilge.

TRÁCHT AR THUAIRISC AN RIALTAISCHUIG COMHAIRLE NA hEORPA

Leathanaigh 54/56 – Leabharlanna –Tugann antuairisc oifigiúil seo fianaise go bhfuil nua-iarrachtaí déanta ag lucht na leabharlann poiblíchun freastal ar riachtanais an phobail áitiúilGhaeilge i dtéarmaí áiseanna agus seirbhísí. Marshampla, is rud an-tábhachtach é go gcuirtearseirbhísí ar fáil do na Gaelscoileanna agus táPOBAL buíoch as an obair atá déanta ag na BoirdOideachais agus Leabharlainne sa réimse seo. Iséigean a rá áfach gur de thoradh deathoil na foirne

44provided during visits from Irish-medium schools.This board also runs an ‘Irish-languageInformation Day’, when language groups have anopportunity to inform members of the publicabout their work.

At present, the Department of Culture, Artsand Leisure are conducting a review of thePublic Library Service. In view of theratification of the Charter and specifically,the wide-ranging provisions adopted for theIrish language under Article 12, it isimportant that policy on the Irish languageis given careful consideration during thisreview.

In 1998, the four major museums and galleries inthe north of Ireland merged to form MAGNI(Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland). Asindicated in their response to POBAL’s enquiryregarding the use of Irish in these institutions,there has over the years been a certain level ofprovision for Irish speakers, through theproduction of gallery guides and educationalmaterials in Irish, audio presentations and lecturesin Irish and bilingual signage. However to date,this type of provision has been of a limited andperiodic nature. In the context of the ratification ofthe Charter, there is a need to extend these servicessignificantly.

In general, there needs to be a clear policyin the Arts Council (NI) to develop andpromote the Irish language arts. In relationto facilities such as museums and libraries,there is a need for greater recognition of thegrowing Irish language community and toensure that this community has access tothese public services through the Irishlanguage.

COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Pages 54/56 – Libraries – The account provided inthe official report of provision for Irish speakers inthe public library service, shows clear evidence ofinitiatives designed to meet the needs of localpopulations, in terms of the provision of resourcesand services through Irish. For example, theprovision of services for local Irish-mediumschools is of central importance and POBALacknowledges the work of the Education andLibrary Boards in this area. However, it is

agus éileamh ó na Gaeilgeoirí féin a tháinig ansoláthar chun cinn. Níor chuid d’aon phleanáilghinearálta é. Tá gá mar sin le pleanáil iomlánstraitéiseach sa réimse seo chun na rudaí maithe abhuanú agus a fheabhsú agus chun tuilleadhseirbhísí a fhorbairt do Ghaeilgeoirí. Mar shampla,Tá ionnas ‘ad-hoc’ an tsoláthair reatha léirithe margo mbíonn caighdeán seirbhíse níos fearr ann doGhaelscoileanna áitiúla i gceantar amháin ná igceantair eile. Níl seirbhísí den chineál chéanna lefáil ag achan Ghaelscoil.

Maidir le hAlt 1e, a bhaineann le hearcú foirne atácumasach sa Ghaeilge, ba mhaith le POBALtuilleadh mioneolais faoi na straitéisí atá ar bun agna Boird chun a chinntiú go mbíonn go leorcainteoirí cumasacha ar fáil chun freastal ar anphobal sna leabharlanna poiblí.

Rud ginearálta, is ábhar iontais dúinn é chomhminic agus a thagraítear, sa chuid seo den tuairisc,don soláthar atá á dhéanamh d’Albanais Uladhagus do theangacha eitneacha. Cuid III den Chairtatá faoi thrácht anseo, agus ní shonraítear teangaar bith seachas an Ghaeilge.

Alt 13 – An Saol Sóisialta agus Geilleagrach

Tá sé deacair an dul chun cinn a mheas maidir lehAlt 13, nó ní abraíonn an fhoráil don Ghaeilgeach go ndéanfaidh an Stát éascú agus/nó cothúúsáid na Gaeilge sa saol geilleagrach agus sóisialtaar dhóigh ghinearálta.

Tá roinnt samplaí ann sa Tuaisceart den lom-dhoicheall roimh an Ghaeilge. B’fhearr, dá bhrísin, dá leanfadh an Rialtas de rún an pharagraifroimhe sin, áit a gceanglaítear ar an Stát cur inéadan chleachtais nó nósanna ar bith ar cuspóirdóibh na teangacha mionlaigh nó reigiúnda aimeallú i dtaca le himeachtaí geilleagracha nósóisialta.

Mar shampla, tá fadhbanna fós ann leis naseirbhísí poist. Is minic a fhaigheann POBALgearán ó bhallgrúpaí faoi neamhsheachadadhlitreacha a bhfuil ainm nó seoladh i nGaeilgeorthu. Tháinig seo amach go soiléir le linn obairPOBAL i dtaca leis an Bhille Daoncheartach doThuaisceart na hÉireann, nó bhí cártaí poist ann araibh seoladh beacht Gaeilge orthu ach tháinigsiad ar ais ón Runaí Stáit agus teachtaireachtscríofa orthu: ‘Scríobh i mBéarla’ nó ‘seoladh

45

important to note that existing provision haslargely developed due to the goodwill of staff andto demands from Irish-speakers, rather than aspart of overall planning for provision for the use ofIrish in the library service. Thus, there is a need foroverall strategic planning in this area, in order toconsolidate and further develop services for Irishspeakers. The ad-hoc nature of current provision isillustrated by the fact that while greater levels ofservice are available in certain areas for local Irish-medium schools, not all schools have access to alocal library with comparable services.

With regard to paragraph 1e, relating to recruitingstaff with competence in Irish, POBAL wouldwelcome clarification on the strategies in place inthe boards to ensure that there are adequatenumbers of staff with competence in Irish, toprovide service to Irish speakers in public libraries.

As a general comment, we are somewhat surprisedby the repeated references throughout this sectionto services provided in Ulster-Scots and ethnicminority languages, since this section relates toPart III of the Charter, under which Irish is the onlydesignated language, in the north of Ireland.

Article 13 – Economic and Social life

It is difficult to assess progress on Article 13, as theprovision adopted for Irish requires the State to‘facilitate and/or encourage’ the use of Irish in theeconomic and social sphere, in a general way.

There are some instances where the use of Irish isactively discouraged, and for this reason, it wouldhave been useful if the preceding paragraph whichrequires the State to ‘oppose practices designed todiscourage the use of regional or minoritylanguages in connection with economic or socialactivities’ had been adopted.

For example, there have been ongoing problemswith the postal service. POBAL receives regularcomplaints from member groups about the non-delivery of letters with names and addresses inIrish. This was also highlighted during POBAL’swork in relation to the proposed Bill of Rights forNorthern Ireland, when postcards correctlyaddressed in Irish, to the Secretary of State werereturned with written messages ‘Write in English’and ‘Incomplete address’. POBAL has addressedthese complaints to the Royal Mail, with

neamhiomlán’. Chuir POBAL na gearáin seo araghaidh chuig an Royal Mail agus fuair sé sásamhach os rud é gur buan na fadhbanna seo is léir gurgá le tabhairt fúthu ar dhóigh níos sásúla.

San earnáil phríobháideach tá samplaí ann dechomlachtaí a d’aithin fás phobal na Gaeilge trísheirbhísí a ofráil nó chomharthaí dátheangacha aúsáid. I dTuaisceart na hÉireann tá bainc ann–Banc na hÉireann, An Chéad Iontaobhas agus BancUladh – atá sásta leagan Gaeilge de sheicleabhaira eisiúint má iarrtar orthu. I gcás Bhanc nahÉireann, tugann sé seirbhísí trí Ghaeilge i gcuidde na brainsí. I mBéal Feirste, san Iarthar goháirithe, tá comharthaí dátheangacha in airde igcuid mhaith siopaí agus gnónna.

I gcás imeachtaí ina bhfuil níos lú tionchair ag anStát orthu, is dócha go n-iarrann an fhoráil seo denChairt go spreagfaí úsáid na teanga nó goméadófaí an soláthar áiseanna di. Níl fianaise anngo fóill go bhfuil aon chéim tugtha sa bhealachseo.

Maidir le húsáid na Gaeilge san áit oibre, tá POBALbuartha go bhfuil an Coimisiún Cothromais doThuaisceart na hÉireann i ndiaidh a chur in iúld’fhostóirí áirithe gur féidir nach mbíonn úsáid naGaeilge i gcomhthéacs áirithe ag teacht leneodracht an spáis oibre.37 Le linn comhfhreagraisle POBAL dúirt an Coimisiún gur shíl sé go mbeadhúsáid na Gaeilge san áit oibre ina foras dolíomhaintí leithcheala ag daoine gan Ghaeilgeagus gurbh fhéidir go gcuirfí d’fhiacha ar nafostóirí beart a dhéanamh chun úsáid na Gaeilge achosc. I gcomhfhreagras ar an téama céanna táCoimisiún um Chearta Daonna TÉ i ndiaidh tacúleis an léirmhíniú seo ar an scéal reatha maidir lehúsáid na Gaeilge san áit oibre.

Is gá soiléiriú a dhéanamh ar na bearta adhéanfar chun úsáid na Gaeilge sa saolgeilleagrach agus sóisialta a chur chun cinn.

46satisfactory results, but the persistence of suchproblems indicates that there is a need to tacklesuch practices in a more pro-active way.

In the private sector, there are some examples ofcompanies which have responded to the growth ofthe Irish language community, by offering servicethrough Irish or using bilingual signage. InNorthern Ireland, a number of banks – Bank ofIreland, First Trust and Ulster Bank – will issueIrish versions of cheque-books on request. Bank ofIreland also provides service through Irish in somebranches. In Belfast, particularly in the west of thecity, many shops and businesses display bilingualsigns.

In relation to areas of economic activity in whichthe State has less direct influence, it is likely thatthis particular provision of the Charter requiresthat the use of Irish, or provision for Irish speakersshould be encouraged. There is no evidence thatany such measures are in place at present.

With regard to the use of Irish in the workplace,POBAL is concerned that the Equality Commissionfor Northern Ireland, has advised some employersthat the use of Irish in certain contexts is notconducive to the creation of a ‘neutral work-space’.37 In the course of correspondence withPOBAL, the Commission has expressed the viewthat the use of Irish in the workplace could providethe basis for allegations of discrimination againstnon-Irish speakers and that this could potentiallyplace a duty on employers to take steps to preventthe use of Irish in this context. In relatedcorrespondence, the Northern Ireland HumanRights Commission has supported thisinterpretation of the current situation regardingthe use of Irish in the workplace.

There is a need for clarification of themeasures which will be employed topromote the use of Irish in economic andsocial life.

37Comhfhreagras idir POBAL agus Coimisiún Cothromais doThuaisceart na hÉireann.

37Correspondence between POBAL and the Equality Commission forNorthern Ireland

TRÁCHT AR THUAIRISC AN RIALTAISCHUIG COMHAIRLE NA hEORPA

Leathanach 57 – Agus í ag tagairt d’fheidhimiú Alt13 deir an tuairisc oifigiúil gur féidir leeagraíochtaí Gaeilge san earnáilphríobháideach/neamhrialtasach taca poiblí a lorgar an bhonn chéanna le heagraíochtaí eile sanearnáil phríobháideach. Is ar éigin is féidirglacadh leis seo mar pholasaí dearfach chun anGhaeilge a chothú san earnáil seo.

Alt 14 – Comhar Trasteorann

Is í an Ghaeilge príomhtheanga náisiúntaPhoblacht na hÉireann í, áit a léiríonn na figiúirídaonáirimh is déanaí (1996) go bhfuil labhairt naGaeilge38 ag 41% den phobal (atá in aois a 3 nó níossine). Ardaíonn an figiúr seo go dtí 73% denphobal sna ceantair Ghaeltachta.39 Tá séríthábhachtach go mbeidh comhar idir an pobalmór Gaeilge seo agus Gaeilgeoirí i dtuaisceart nahÉireann. Aithnítear tábhacht na nasc sin gosoiléir sa tuairisc mhínitheach sa Chairt nuair adeir sí ‘go bhfuil ardtábhacht le comhar agus lemalartú cultúrtha, go háirithe nuair atá teanga inateanga réigiúnda i Stát amháin agus í inapríomhtheanga chultúrtha nó fiú ina teanganáisiúnta sa Stát eile. Sa dóigh seo is féidir leis anchomhar trasteorann deis a thabhairt don phobalréigiúnach tairbhe a bhaint as imeachtaí sa teangais forleithne sin.

Ba mhór an dul chun cinn é bunú an fhorais uile-Éireannaigh An Foras Teanga chun comhar igcúrsaí Gaeilge a fhorbairt ar leibhéal oifigiúil.Níor tugadh céimeanna suntasacha ar bith go fóilláfach chun cur leis na teagmhálacha trasteorannag grúpaí Gaeilge. Is mór idir an easpaghníomhaíochta anseo agus an rud atá déanta agtograí eile ar nós Co-operation North, amhaoiníonn comhar trasphobail agus IomairtCholmcille, a chothaíonn naisc idir cainteoiríGaeilge agus cainteoirí Gàidhlige in Albain.

47

COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Page 57 – The statement in the official report onthe implementation of Article 13 which states thatIrish language organisations in the private/NGOsector can apply for public support on the samebasis as any other private sector organisation, canhardly be viewed as a positive policy of promotingthe use of Irish in these sectors.

Article 14 – Transfrontier Exchanges

The Irish language is the first national language inthe Republic of Ireland, where the most recentcensus figures (1996) indicated that 41% of thepopulation (aged 3 and over) could speak Irish38.This rises to over 73% of the population inGaeltacht39 areas. Mutual co-operation with thislarger Irish language community is of centralimportance for Irish speakers in the north ofIreland. The importance of such links is explicitlyrecognised in the Explanatory Report on theCharter, which states that co-operation andcultural exchange is ‘… particularly importantwhere a regional language in one statecorresponds to a major cultural language, or eventhe national language, of another state and wheretransfrontier co-operation can enable the regionalcommunity to benefit from cultural activity in thatmore widespread language’.

The establishment of the all-Ireland language bodyAn Foras Teanga has facilitated greater co-operation at an official level in relation to Irishlanguage policy. However, no significant steps havebeen taken to encourage greater cross-bordercontact between Irish language groups. The failureto establish initiatives to encourage this is incontrast with other projects, such as Co-operationNorth which funds cross-community exchangesand the Iomairt Cholmcille initiative, whichpromotes links between Irish speakers and Gaelicspeakers in Scotland.

38Cuirtear an cheist an bhfuil labhairt na Gaeilge ag daoine in aois a3 no níos sine.

39Ceantair oifigiúla aitheanta Ghaeilge.

38The question asked whether persons aged 3 and over could speakIrish

39Officially recognised Irish-speaking areas

Chun Alt 14 den Chairt a chur i bhfeidhm tágá le cur chuige i bhfad níos gníomhaímaidir le naisc a chothú idir grúpaí Gaeilgear fud na hÉireann.

TRÁCHT AR THUAIRISC AN RIALTAISCHUIG COMHAIRLE NA hEORPA

Leathanach 58 – Tá maoinscéimeanna áirithe agan AE atá dírithe ar an chomhar trastreorann agustagraíonn Tuairisc an Rialtais dóibh mar shamplade shocruithe iltaobhacha a chothaíonn naisc idirGaeilgeoirí ar fud na hÉireann. Cé gur féidir legrúpaí Gaeilge iarratas a chur isteach do nascéimeanna seo, níl na scéimeanna áfach dírithego sonrach chun naisc a chothú idir Gaeilgeoirí.Mar a dúradh cheana go minic is é dearcadhPOBAL é gur gá le bheith i bhfad níos dearfaí chunnaisc trasteorann a spreagadh, trí thograí ar leith.

48In order to implement Article 14 of theCharter, there is a need for a much moreactive approach to the promotion of linksbetween Irish language groups throughoutIreland.

COMMENT ON THE GOVERNMENTREPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Page 58 – The government report refers toparticular EU funding programmes directed atcross-border co-operation as examples ofmultilateral agreements, which foster linksbetween Irish speakers throughout Ireland.However, while it is open to Irish language groupsapply to these programmes for funding, theseinitiatives are not specifically designed to promotelinks between Irish speakers. As noted above, it isPOBAL’s view that there is a need for a morepositive approach to promoting cross-border links,through specific initiatives.

AGUISÍN

CAIRT NA HEORPA DO THEANGACHARÉIGIÚNACHA NÓ MIONLAIGH*

CUID II

(A BHAINEANN LEIS AN GHAEILGEAGUS AN ULTAIS)

Cuspóirí agus prionsabail arna saothrú igcomhréir le hAirteagal 2, Alt 1

AIRTEAGAL 7 CUSPÓIRÍ AGUSPRIONSABAIL

1. I dtaca le teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh, ar na críocha ina n-úsáidtear nateangacha sin agus i gcomhréir leis an gcor inabhfuil gach teanga, fothóidh na Páirtithe ambeartais, a reachtaíocht agus a gcleachtas ar nacuspóirí agus prionsabail seo a leanas:

a. na teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a aithintmar fhriotal ar an saibhreas cultúrtha;

b. limistéar geografach gach teanga réigiúnach nómionlaigh a urramú d’fhonn a chinntiú nachmbaintear feidhm as ranna riarthacha atá ann nó asranna nua chun cur isteach ar na teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh i dtrácht a chur araghaidh;

c. an riachtanas atá le gníomhaíocht dhiongbháilted’fhonn teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a churar aghaidh ar mhaithe lena gcoimirciú;

d. úsáid teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh sa chaintagus i scríbhinn a éascú agus/nó a chothú, sa saolpoiblí agus príobháideach;

e. naisc a chothabháil agus a fhorbairt, sna réimsí atáfolaithe sa Chairt seo, idir grúpaí a úsáideann teangaréigiúnach nó mionlaigh agus grúpaí eile sa Stát aúsáideann teanga i bhfoirm chomhionann nócomhchosúil, mar aon le caidreamh cultúrtha abhunú le grúpaí eile sa Stát a úsáideann teangachadifriúla;

f. foirmeacha agus meáin iomchuí a sholáthar chunteangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a theagasc, nóstaidéar a dhéanamh orthu, ag gach céim iomchuí;

g. saoráidí a sholáthar chun gur féidir le daoine nachlabhraíonn teanga réigiúnach nó mionlaigh a bhfuilcónaí orthu sa limistéar ina labhraítear í an teangasin a fhoghlaim más mian leo;

49

APPENDIX

THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FORREGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES*

PART II

(TO APPLY TO IRISH AND ULSTER-SCOTS)

Objectives and principles pursued inaccordance with Article 2, paragraph 1

ARTICLE 7 OBJECTIVES ANDPRINCIPLES

1. In respect of regional or minority languages,within the territories in which such languages areused and according to the situation of eachlanguage, the Parties shall base their policies,legislation and practice on the following objectivesand principles:

a. the recognition of the regional or minoritylanguages as an expression of cultural wealth;

b. the respect of the geographical area of each regionalor minority language in order to ensure that existingor new administrative divisions do not constitute anobstacle to the promotion of the regional orminority language in question;

c. the need for resolute action to promote regional orminority languages in order to safeguard them

d. the facilitation and/or encouragement of the use ofregional or minority languages, in speech andwriting, in private and public life

e. the maintenance and development of links, in thefields covered by this Charter, between groups usinga regional or minority language and other groups inthe State employing a language used in identical orsimilar form, as well as the establishment of culturalrelations with other groups in the State usingdifferent languages;

f. the provision of appropriate forms and means forthe teaching and study of regional or minoritylanguages at all appropriate stages;

g. the provision of facilities enabling non-speakers of aregional or minority language living in the areawhere it is used to learn it if they so desire;

*Leagan iomlán na Cairte ar fáil ar www.coe.int *The full text of the Charter is available on www.coe.int

(h) staidéar agus taighde ar theangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh a chur ar aghaidh in ollscoileanna nó ininstitiúidí coibhéiseacha;

(i) saghsanna iomchuí comhaiseag trasnáisiúnta a churar aghaidh sna réimsí atá folaithe sa Chairt seo, idtaca le teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh aúsáidtear i bhfoirm chomhionann nó comhchosúilin dá Stát nó níos mó;

2. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh aonidirdhealú, eisiamh, srianadh nó fabhar nachbhfuil bunús leo a dhíchur, mura bhfuil sé déantaacu cheana, a bhaineann le teanga réigiúnach nómionlaigh a úsáid agus arb é is aidhm dóibhcothabháil nó forbairt na teanga sin adhíspeagadh nó a chur i gcontúirt. Beartaspeisialta a ghlacadh, ar mhaithe le teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh, arb é is aidhm dóibhcomhionannas a chur ar aghaidh idir úsáidirí nadteangacha sin agus an chuid eile den phobal nó athugann aird chuí ar a ndálaí sonracha, níl sé lemeas mar ghníomh a idirdhealaíonn i gcoinneúsáidirí na dteangacha is mó úsáid.

3. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh an tuiscintfhrithpháirteach idir grúpaí teangeolaíocha uile natíre a chur ar aghaidh le bearta iomchuí agus goháirithe meas, tuiscint agus caoinfhulaingt i ndáille teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a áireamhar chuspóirí an oideachais agus na hoiliúna achuirtear ar fáil ina dtíortha agus na hollmheáin achothú chun an cuspóir céanna a shaothrú.

4. Agus a mbeartas maidir le teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh á chinneadh acu,cuirfidh na Páirtithe san áireamh na riachtanaisagus toilmhianta arna gcur in iúl ag na grúpaí aúsáideann na teangacha sin. Déantar na grúpaí achothú chun comhlachtaí a bhunú, más gá,d’fhonn comhairle a chur ar na húdaráis ar gachábhar a bhaineann le teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh.

5. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh na prionsabailatá liostaithe i míreanna 1 go 4 thuas a chur ibhfeidhm, mutatis mutandis, ar theangachaneamhchríochacha. Fad a bhaineann leis nateangacha sin, áfach, cinnfear ar dhóigh sholúbthacineál agus raon feidhme na mbeart atá le glacadhchun éifeacht a thabhairt don Chairt seo agféachaint do riachtanais agus do thoilmhianta na

50h. the promotion of study and research on regional or

minority languages at universities or equivalentinstitutions;

i. the promotion of appropriate types of transnationalexchanges, in the fields covered by this Charter, forregional or minority languages used in identical orsimilar form in two or more States.

2. The Parties undertake to eliminate, if they havenot yet done so, any unjustified distinction,exclusion, restriction or preference relating to theuse of a regional or minority language andintended to discourage or endanger themaintenance or development of a regional orminority language. The adoption of specialmeasures in favour of regional or minoritylanguages aimed at promoting equality betweenthe users of these languages and the rest of thepopulation or which take due account of theirspecific conditions is not considered to be an act ofdiscrimination against the users of more widelyused languages.

3. The Parties undertake to promote, byappropriate measures, mutual understandingbetween all the linguistic groups of the countryand in particular the inclusion of respect,understanding and tolerance in relation toregional or minority languages among theobjectives of education and training providedwithin their countries and encouragement of themass media to pursue the same objective.

4. In determining their policy with regard toregional or minority languages, the Parties shalltake into consideration the needs and wishesexpressed by the groups which use such languages.They are encouraged to establish bodies, ifnecessary, for the purpose of advising theauthorities on all matters pertaining to regional orminority languages.

5. The Parties undertake to apply, mutatismutandis, the principles listed in paragraphs 1 to4 above to non-territorial languages. However, asfar as these languages are concerned, the natureand scope of the measures to be taken to giveeffect to this Charter shall be determined in aflexible manner, bearing in mind the needs andwishes, and respecting the traditions and

ngrúpaí a úsáideann na teangacha i dtrácht agusag urramú a gcuid traidisiún agus sainghnéithe.

CUID IIIBearta chun úsáid na dteangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a chur ar aghaidhsa saol poiblí i gcomhréir leis na gealltanaisarna ngabháil ar láimh faoi Airteagal 2(2)

(36 foráil a bhaineann leis an Ghaeilge idTuaisceart na hÉireann. Na hailt atá i gceist i gclótrom).*

AIRTEAGAL 8 - OIDEACHAS

1. Maidir leis an oideachas, gabhann naPáirtithe ar láimh, ar an gcríoch ina n-úsáidtear nateangacha sin, i gcomhréir leis an gcor ina bhfuilgach ceann de na teangacha sin, agus gan dochardo theagasc theanga oifigiúil nó theangachaoifigiúla an Stáit sin:

a i. oideachas réamhscoile a chur ar fáil snateangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha; nóii. cuid mhór den oideachas réamhscoile a chur arfáil sna teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaighábhartha; nó iii. ceann de na bearta dá bhforáiltear faoi i agusii thuas a chur i bhfeidhm ar na daltaí sin ar alaghad a n-iarrann a dteaghlach a leithéid agus arleor an líon díobh atá ann;

b. i. bunoideachas a chur ar fáil sna teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha; nóii. cuid mhór den bhunoideachas a chur ar fáil snateangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha; nó iii. forálacha a dhéanamh chun go ndéantar sabhunoideachas na teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh ábhartha a theagasc mar chuid dhílis denchuraclam; nóiv. ceann de na bearta dá bhforáiltear faoi i go iiithuas a chur i bhfeidhm ar na daltaí sin ar alaghad a n-iarrann a dteaghlach a leithéid agus arleor an líon díobh atá ann;

51

characteristics, of the groups which use thelanguages concerned.

PART IIIMeasures to promote the use of regional orminority languages in public life inaccordance with the undertakings enteredinto under Article 2, paragraph 2

(36 paragraphs which apply to Irish in NorthernIreland. Relevant paragraphs are highlighted inbold). *

ARTICLE 8 - EDUCATION

1. With regard to education, the Parties undertake,within the territory in which such languages areused, according to the situation of each of theselanguages, and without prejudice to the teachingof the official language(s) of the State, to:

a. i. make available pre-school education in therelevant regional or minority languages ; orii. make available a substantial part of pre-schooleducation in the relevant regional or minoritylanguages; or iii. apply one of the measures provided for underi and ii above at least to those pupils whosefamilies so request or whose number isconsidered sufficient;

b. i. make available primary education in the relevantregional or minority languages; orii. make available a substantial part of primaryeducation in the relevant regional or minoritylanguages; oriii. provide, within primary education, for theteaching of the relevant regional or minoritylanguages as an integral part of the curriculum;oriv. apply one of the measures provided for underi to iii above at least to those pupils whosefamilies so request or whose number isconsidered sufficient;

*Nóta an taighdeora

Leagan iomlán na Cairte ar fáil ar www.coe.int

*Researcher’s own note

The full text of the Charter is available on www.coe.int

c. i. meánoideachas a chur ar fáil sna teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha; nóii. cuid mhór den mheánoideachas a chur ar fáil snateangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha; nó iii. forálacha a dhéanamh chun go ndéantar samheánoideachas na teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh ábhartha a theagasc mar chuid dhílis denchuraclam; nóiv. ceann de na bearta dá bhforáiltear faoi i go iiithuas a chur i bhfeidhm ar na daltaí sin ar alaghad a iarrann a leithéid, nó, más iomchuí, a n-iarrann a dteaghlach a leithéid agus ar leor anlíon díobh atá ann;

d. i. oiliúint theicniúil agus gairmoiliúint a chur ar fáilsna teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha;nóii. cuid mhór den oiliúint theicniúil agus denghairmoiliúint a chur ar fáil sna teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha; nó iii. forálacha a dhéanamh chun go ndéantar sanoiliúint theicniúil agus sa ghairmoiliúint nateangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ábhartha atheagasc mar chuid dhílis den churaclam; nóiv. ceann de na bearta dá bhforáiltear faoi i go iiithuas a chur i bhfeidhm ar na daltaí sin ar alaghad a iarrann a leithéid, nó, más iomchuí, a n-iarrann a dteaghlach a leithéid agus ar leor anlíon díobh atá ann;

e. i. oideachas ollscoile agus ardoideachas eile a churar fáil i dteangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh; ii. saoráidí a chur ar fáil chun staidéar a dhéanamhar na teangacha sin mar ábhair san oideachas ollscoile agus san ardoideachas; nó iii. más rud é, de thairbhe ról an Stáit i ndáil lehinstitiúidí ardoideachais, nach féidirfomhíreanna i agus ii a chur i bhfeidhm, solátharoideachas ollscoile nó foirmeacha eileardoideachais i dteangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh a chothú agus/nó a cheadú nó saoráidía chur ar fáil chun staidéar a dhéanamh ar nateangacha sin mar ábhair san oideachas ollscoilenó san ardoideachas;

52c. i. make available secondary education in the

relevant regional or minority languages; orii. make available a substantial part of secondaryeducation in the relevant regional or minoritylanguages; oriii. provide, within secondary education, for theteaching of the relevant regional or minoritylanguages as an integral part of the curriculum; oriv. apply one of the measures provided for underi to iii above at least to those pupils who, orwhere appropriate whose families so request orwhose number is considered sufficient;

d. i. make available technical and vocational educationin the relevant regional or minority languages; orii. make available a substantial part of technical andvocational education in the relevant regional orminority languages; oriii. provide, within technical and vocationaleducation, for the teaching of the relevant regionalor minority languages as an integral part of thecurriculum; oriv. apply one of the measures provided for underi to iii above at least to those pupils who, orwhere appropriate whose families so request orwhose number is considered sufficient;

e. i. make available university and other highereducation in the relevant regional or minoritylanguages; orii. provide facilities for the study of these languagesas university and higher education subjects; oriii. if, by reason of the role of the State in relationto higher education institutions, sub-paragraphs iand ii cannot be applied, encourage and/or allowthe provision of university and higher educationin regional or minority languages or of facilitiesfor the study of these languages as university orhigher education subjects;

f. ii. offer [regional or minority languages] as

f. ii. na teangacha sin a thairiscint mar ábhair donoideachas do dhaoine fásta agus don oideachasleanúnach; nó

g. socruithe a dhéanamh chun teagasc na staire agusan chultúir a áirithiú a bhfuil an teanga réigiúnach nó mionlaigh ina friotal orthu;

h. bunoiliúint agus oiliúint bhreise a chur ar fáil dona múinteoirí is gá chun na míreanna sin ó a go gatá glactha ag an bPáirtí a chur chun feidhme;

2. Maidir leis an oideachas agus i dtaca le críochaseachas na críocha ina n-úsáidtear na teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh go traidisiúnta,gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh, má tá call leistoisc líon na ndaoine a úsáideann teangaréigiúnach nó miolaigh, teagasc a dhéanamh sateanga réigiúnach nó mionlaigh nó an teangaréigiúnach nó mionlaigh a theagasc a cheadú, achothú nó a chur ar fáil ag gach céim iomchuí denoideachas.

Airteagal 9 – Údaráis bhreithiúnacha

3. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh na téacsannareachtúla náisiúnta is tábhachtaí agus natéacsanna sin a bhaineann ach go háirithe lehúsáidirí na dteangacha sin a chur ar fáil snateangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh, muragcuirtear ar fáil ar dhóigh eile iad.

Airteagal 10

Údaráis riarthacha agus seirbhísípoiblí

1. Laistigh de cheantair riarthacha an Stáit inabhfuil call leis na bearta atá sonraithe thíos toisclíon mór na gcónaitheoirí a úsáideann nateangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh agus igcomhréir leis an gcor ina bhfuil gach teanga,gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh, a mhéad is féidirsin go réasúnta:

a. iv. a áirithiú go bhféadfaidh úsáidirí teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh iarratais i scríbhinn nóó bhéal a chur faoina mbráid sna teangacha sin;nó

53

subjects of adult and continuing education;

g. make arrangements to ensure the teaching of thehistory and the culture which is reflected by theregional or minority language;

h. provide the basic and further training of theteachers required to implement those ofparagraphs (a) to (g) accepted by the Party ;

2. With regard to education and in respect of theterritories other than those in which the regionalor minority languages are traditionally used, theParties undertake, if the number of users of aregional or minority language justifies it, to allow,encourage or provide teaching in or of theregional or minority language at all theappropriate stages of education.

Article 9 - Judicial authorities

3. The Parties undertake to make available in theregional or minority languages the mostimportant national statutory texts and thoserelating particularly to users of these languages,unless they are otherwise provided.

Article 10

Administrative authorities and publicservices

1. Within the administrative districts of the State inwhich the number of residents who are users ofregional or minority languages justifies themeasures specified below and according to thesituation of each language, the Parties undertake,as far as this is reasonably possible, to:

a. iv. ensure that users of regional or minoritylanguages may submit oral or writtenapplications in these languages

c. allow the administrative authorities to draft

c a cheadú do na húdaráis riarthacha doiciméid adhréachtú i dteanga réigiúnach nó mionlaigh.

2. I dtaca le húdaráis áitiúla agus réigiúnacha abhfuil call ar a gcríoch leis na bearta atásonraithe thíos toisc líon na gcónaitheoirí aúsáideann na teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh, gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh:

b. an chaoi a bheith ag úsáidirí teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh iarratais i scríbhinn nóó bhéal a thíolacadh sna teangacha sin;

e. údaráis réigiúnacha teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh a úsáid i ndíospóireachtaí inagcomhthionóil, gan úsáid theanga oifigiúil nótheangacha oifigiúla an Stáit a eisiamh ar a shonsin;

f. údaráis áitiúla teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh a úsáid i ndíospóireachtaí inagcomhthionóil, gan úsáid theanga oifigiúil nótheangacha oifigiúla an Stáit a eisiamh ar a shonsin;

g. foirmeacha traidisiúnta cearta de logainmneachai dteangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a úsáid nóa ghlacadh in éineacht, más gá, leis an ainm sateanga oifigiúil nó sna teangacha oifigiúla.

3. Maidir le seirbhísí poiblí arna gcur ar fáil ag nahúdaráis riarthacha nó ag daoine eile ag gníomhúthar a gceann, gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh, aran gcríoch ina n-úsáidtear teangacha réigiúnachanó mionlaigh, i gcomhréir leis an gcor ina bhfuilgach teanga, agus a mhéad is féidir sin goréasúnta:

c. a cheadú d’úsáidirí teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh iarraidh a thíolacadh sna teangachasin.

4. D’fhonn éifeacht a thabhairt d’fhorálachamhíreanna 1, 2 agus 3 atá glactha acu, gabhannna Páirtithe ar láimh ceann amháin nó níos móde na bearta seo a leanas a ghlacadh:

a. aistriúchán nó teangaireacht de réir mar is gá;

5. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh úsáid nó glacadhsloinnte sna teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh a cheadú arna iarraidh sin do nadaoine i dtrácht.

54documents in a regional or minority language.

2. In respect of the local and regional authorities onwhose territory the number of residents who areusers of regional or minority languages is such asto justify the measures specified below, theParties undertake to allow and/or encourage:

b. the possibility for users of regional or minoritylanguages to submit oral or written applicationsin these languages;

e. the use by regional authorities of regional orminority languages in debates in their assemblies,without excluding, however, the use of the officiallanguage(s) of the State;

f. the use by local authorities of regional orminority languages in debates in their assemblies,without excluding, however, the use of the officiallanguage(s) of the State;

g. the use or adoption, if necessary in conjunctionwith the name in the official language(s) oftraditional and correct forms of place-names inregional or minority languages.

3. With regard to public services provided by theadministrative authorities or other persons actingon their behalf, the Parties undertake, within theterritory in which regional or minority languagesare used, in accordance with the situation of eachlanguage and as far as this is reasonably possible,to:

c. allow users of regional or minority languages tosubmit a request in these languages.

4. With a view to putting into effect those provisionsof paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 accepted by them, theParties undertake to take one or more of thefollowing measures:

a. translation or interpretation as may be required;

5. The Parties undertake to allow the use oradoption of family names in the regional orminority languages, at the request of thoseconcerned.

Airteagal 11 – na Meáin

1. Gabhann na Páirithe ar láimh, i dtaca le húsáidirína dteangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh ar nacríocha ina labhraítear na teangacha sin, igcomhréir leis an gcor ina bhfuil gach teanga, amhéad atá na húdaráis phoiblí inniúil go díreachnó go hindíreach, atá cumhacht acu nó a imríonnsiad ról sa réimse seo, agus prionsabalneamhspleáchas agus uathriail na meán áurramú:

a. a mhéad a chuireann raidió agus teilifís cúramseirbhís phoiblí i gcrích:

iii. forálacha leormhaithe a dhéanamh chun gogcuireann craoltóirí cláir ar fáil sna teangacharéigiúnacha nó mionlaigh;

b. ii. craoladh cláir raidió go tráthrialta snateangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a chothúagus/nó a éascú;

d. léiriúcháin agus dáileacháin saothair fuaime agusclosamhairc sna teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh a chothú agus/nó a éascú;

e. i. cur ar bun agus/nó cothabháil nuachtáinamháin ar a laghad sna teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh a chothú agus/nó a éascú; nó

f. ii. bearta um chabhair airgeadais atá ann cheanaa chur i bhfeidhm ar léiriúcháin chlosamhaircfreisin sna teangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh;

g. tacú le hiriseoirí agus foireann eile a thraenáil dona meáin a úsáideann teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh.

55

Article 11 - Media

1. The Parties undertake, for the users of theregional or minority languages within theterritories in which those languages are spoken,according to the situation of each language, tothe extent that the public authorities, directly orindirectly, are competent, have power to play arole in this field, and respecting the principle ofthe independence and autonomy of the media:

a. to the extent that radio and television carry out apublic service mission:

iii. to make adequate provision so thatbroadcasters offer programmes in regional orminority languages;

b. ii. to encourage and/or facilitate thebroadcasting of radio programmes in the regionalor minority languages on a regular basis;

d. to encourage and/or facilitate the production anddistribution of audio and audio-visual works inthe regional or minority languages;

e. i. to encourage and/or facilitate the creationand/or maintenance of at least one newspaper inthe regional or minority languages;

f. ii. to apply existing measures for financialassistance also to audiovisual productions inregional or minority languages;

g. to support the training of journalists and otherstaff for media using regional or minoritylanguages.

2. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh saoirse a ráthúmaidir le glacadóireacht dhíreach dechraolacháin raidió agus teilifíse as tíorthacomharsanacha i dteanga a úsáidtear i bhfoirmchomhionann nó comhchosúil le teangaréigiúnach nó mionlaigh, agus gan cur i gcoinneatarchur craolacháin raidió agus teilifíse astíortha comharsanacha sa teanga sin. Gabhannsiad ar láimh freisin a áirithiú nach gcuirfear aonsriantaí ar an tsaoirse friotail agus arshaorchúrsaíocht faisnéise sa phreas scríofa idteanga a úsáidtear i bhfoirm chomhionann nócomhchosúil le teanga réigiúnach nó mionlaigh.Féadfaidh feidhmiú na saoirsí thuasluaite, toiscgo bhfuil dualgais agus freagrachtaí ag gabháilleis, a bheith faoi réir foirmiúlachtaí,coinníollacha, sriantaí nó pionóis de shaghas atáforordaithe le dlí agus atá riachtanach i sochaídhaonlathach, ar mhaithe leis an tslándáilnáisiúnta, iomláine chríochach nó sábháilteachtan phobail, chun mí-ord nó coiriúlacht asheachaint, nó sláinte nó moráltacht a chosaint,chun clú nó cearta daoine eile a chosaint, chunnochtadh faisnéise arna fáil faoi rúndacht achosc, nó chun údarás agus neamhchlaontacht nambreithiúna a chothabháil.

Airteagal 12 – Gníomhaíochtaí agussaoráidí cultúrtha

1. Maidir le gníomhaíochtaí agus saoráidí cultúrtha– go háirithe leabharlanna, físleabharlanna,lárionaid chultúrtha, iarsmalanna, cartlanna,acadaimh, amharclanna agus pictiúrlanna,chomh maith le saothar liteartha agus léiriúchánscannán, foirmeacha coiteanna den fhriotalcultúrtha, féilte agus tionscail chultúir, lena n-áirítear inter alia teicneolaíochtaí nua a úsáid –gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh, ar an gcríoch inan-úsáidtear teangacha den sórt sin agus a mhéadatá na húdaráis phoiblí inniúil, atá cumhacht acunó a imríonn siad ról sa réimse seo:

a. saghsanna friotail agus tionscnaimh is sonrach dotheangacha réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh a chothúagus taobhú leis na meáin éagsúla chun rochtainar shaothair arna ndéanamh sna teangacha sin;

d. a áirithiú go ndéantar lamháltas iomchuí ag nacomhlachtaí atá freagrach as gníomhaíochtaícultúrtha de chineálacha éagsúla a eagrú agus as

562. The Parties undertake to guarantee freedom of

direct reception of radio and televisionbroadcasts from neighbouring countries in alanguage used in identical or similar form to aregional or minority language, and not to opposethe re-transmission of radio and televisionbroadcasts from neighbouring countries in such alanguage. They further undertake to ensure thatno restrictions will be placed on the freedom ofexpression and free circulation of information inthe written press in a language used in identicalor similar form to a regional or minoritylanguage. The exercise of the above-mentionedfreedoms, since it carries with it duties andresponsibilities may be subject to suchformalities, conditions, restrictions or penaltiesas are prescribed by law and are necessary in ademocratic society, in the interests of nationalsecurity, territorial integrity or public safety, forthe prevention of disorder or crime, for theprotection of health or morals, for the protectionof the reputation or rights of others, forpreventing disclosure of information received inconfidence, or for maintaining the authority andimpartiality of the judiciary.

Article 12 - Cultural activities andfacilities

1. With regard to cultural facilities and activities-especially libraries, video libraries, culturalcentres, museums, archives, academies, theatresand cinemas, as well as literary work and filmproduction, vernacular forms of culturalexpression, festivals and the culture industries,including inter alia the use of new technologies –the parties undertake, within the territory inwhich such languages are used and to the extentthat the public authorities are competent, havepower or play a role in this field, to :

a. encourage types of expression and initiativespecific to regional or minority languages andfoster the different means of access to worksproduced in these languages;

d. ensure that the bodies responsible for organisingor supporting cultural activities of various kindsmake appropriate allowance for incorporatingthe knowledge and use of regional or minority

tacú leo d’fhonn an t-eolas ar theangacha nócultúir réigiúnacha nó mionlaigh agus a n-úsáid aionchorprú sna gnóthais a thionscnaíonn siad nóa gcuireann siad tacaíocht ar fáil dóibh;

e. bearta a chur ar aghaidh chun a áirithiú go bhfuilag na comhlachtaí atá freagrach asgníomhaíochtaí cultúrtha de chineálacha éagsúlaa eagrú foireann a bhfuil láneolas acu ar anteanga réigiúnach nó mionlaigh i dtrácht mar aonle láneolas ar an teanga/na teangacha atá ag angcuid eile den phobal;

f. ionadaithe do na húsáidirí de theanga réigiúnachnó mionlaigh a chothú chun bheithrannpháirteach go díreach i saoráidí a sholátharagus i ngníomhaíochtaí cultúrtha a phleanáil;

h. más gá, seirbhísí aistriúcháin agus seirbhísí umthaighde téarmeolaíoch a chur ar bun agus/nó achur ar aghaidh agus a mhaoiniú, go háirithe armhaithe leis an téarmaíocht iomchuí achothabháil agus a fhorbairt i gach teagnaréigiúnach nó mionlaigh sna réimsí riarthach,tráchtálach, eacnamaíoch, sóisialta,teicneolaíoch nó dlí.

2. I dtaca le críocha seachas na cinn ina n-úsáidteargo traidisiúnta na teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh, gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh, má tácall leis toisc líon úsáidirí teanga réigiúnach nómionlaigh, gníomhaíochtaí agus saoráidícultúrtha iomchuí a cheadú, a chothú agus/nó achur ar fáil i gcomhréir leis an mír roimhe seo.

3. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh forálacha iomchuía dhéanamh, agus a mbeartas ar an gcoigríoch áshaothrú acu, le haghaidh teangacha réigiúnachanó mionlaigh agus na gcultúr a bhfuil siad inabhfriotal orthu.

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languages and cultures in the undertakings whichthey initiate or for which they provide backing;

e. promote measures to ensure that the bodiesresponsible for organising or supporting culturalactivities have at their disposal staff who have afull command of the regional or minoritylanguage concerned, as well as of the language(s)of the rest of the population;

f. encourage direct participation by representativesof the users of a given regional or minoritylanguage in providing facilities and planningcultural activities;

h. if necessary create and/or promote and financetranslation and terminological research services,particularly with a view to maintaining anddeveloping appropriate administrative,commercial, economic, social, technical or legalterminology in each regional or minoritylanguage.

2. In respect of territories other than those in whichthe regional or minority languages aretraditionally used, the Parties undertake, if thenumber of users of a regional or minoritylanguage justifies it, to allow, encourage and/orprovide appropriate cultural activities andfacilities in accordance with the precedingparagraph.

3. The Parties undertake to make appropriateprovision, in pursuing their cultural policyabroad, for regional or minority languages andthe cultures they reflect.

Airteagal 13 – Saol eacnamaíochagus sóisialta

1. Maidir le gníomhaíochtaí eacnamaíocha agussóisialta, gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh, laistighden tír ar fad:

a. aon fhoráil a dhíchur óna reachtaíocht athoirmisceann nó a theorannaíonn gan cúiseannainchosanta úsáid teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh i ndoiciméid a bhaineann leis an saoleacnamaíoch nó sóisialta, go háirithe conarthaífostaíochta, agus i ndoiciméid theicniúla amhailtreoracha mar gheall ar tháirgí nó suiteálacha aúsáid;

b. toirmeasc a chur ar aon chlasál a chur isteach snarialacháin inmheánacha de chuid comhlachtaí agusi ndoiciméid phríobháideacha a eisiann nó ashrianann úsáid teangacha réigiúnach nómionlaigh, ar a laghad idir úsáidirí na teangacéanna;

c. cleachtais a chomhrac arb is aidhm dóibh úsáidteangacha réigiúnach nó mionlaigh a dhíspeagadh indáil le gníomhaíochtaí eacnamaíocha nó sóisialta;

d. úsáid teangacha réigiúnach nó mionlaigh lemeáin seachas na cinn atá sonraithe snafomhíreanna roimhe seo a éascú agus/nó achothú.

Airteagal 14 - Comhar trasteorann

1. Gabhann na Páirtithe ar láimh:

a. comhaontuithe déthaobhacha agus iltaobhachaatá ann cheana agus atá ina gceangal orthu a churi bhfeidhm leis na Stáit ina n-úsáidtear an teangachéanna i bhfoirm chomhionann nó comhchosúil,nó más gá, féachaint le comhaontuithe den sórtsin a thabhairt i gcrích d’fhonn taobhú le tadhaillidir úsáidirí na teanga céanna sna Stáit i dtrácht idtaca le cultúr, oideachais, faisnéis, gairmoiliúintagus buanoideachas;

b. ar mhaithe le teangacha réigiúnacha nómionlaigh, chun an comhar trasteorann a éascúagus/nó a chur ar aghaidh, go háirithe idirúdaráis réigiúnacha nó áitiúla a n-úsáidtear anteanga chéanna i bhfoirm chomhionann nócomhchosúil ar a gcríoch.

58Article 13 - Economic and social life

1. With regard to economic and social activities, theParties undertake, within the whole country, to:

a. eliminate from their legislation any provisionprohibiting or limiting without justifiable reasonsthe use of regional or minority languages indocuments relating to economic or social life,particularly contracts of employment, and intechnical documents such as instructions for the useof products or installations;

b. prohibit the insertion in internal regulations ofcompanies and private documents of any clausesexcluding or restricting the use of regional orminority languages, at least between users of thesame language;

c. oppose practices designed to discourage the use ofregional or minority languages in connection witheconomic or social activities;

d. facilitate and/or encourage the use of regional orminority languages by means other than thosespecified in the above sub-paragraphs.

Article 14 - Transfrontier exchanges

1. The Parties undertake:

a. to apply existing bilateral and multilateralagreements which bind them with the States inwhich the same language is used in identical orsimilar form, or if necessary to seek to concludesuch agreements, in such a way as to fostercontacts between the users of the same languagein the States concerned in the fields of culture,education, information, vocational training andpermanent education;

b. for the benefit of regional or minority languages,to facilitate and promote co-operation acrossborders, in particular between regional or localauthorities in whose territory the same languageis used in identical or similar form.

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