TÁ BREIS FÓGRAÍ le déanamh mar gheall infheistíocht i dtograí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta, thug an tAire Gaeltachta Dara Calleary le fios agus é ag labhairt le The Journal ó Inis Oírr áit a d’fhógair sé go mbeadh síneadh á chur leis an gcéibh agus oibreacha eile ar chostas iomlán de €35.75m.

Dúirt an tAire Calleary, atá cúramaí forbartha pobail agus tuaithe aire maraon le coimirce shoisíaltain anuas ar a dhualgas i leith na Gaeltachta, gurb é an infheistíocht a fhógraíodh ar Inis Oírr an togra singil ba mhó a raibh fógraithe ag a Roinn ó 2017.

“Is é seo an togra is mó, €35.7m le h-aghaidh céibh nua, cosaint nua do mhuintir Inis Oírr, agus tá sé tabhachtach do mhuintir Inis Oírr, is iad san na daoine is tábhachtaí.

“Tá sé tabhachtach freisin don 200,000 turasóir a bhíonn ag teacht go Inis Oírr gach bliain go mbeidh áiseanna sábháilte agus iontach agus iad ag teacht go Inis Oirr chomh maith le na daoine atá ina gcónaí ar Inis Oírr.” 

“Is é seo an chéad fógra den Phlean Forbartha Náisiúnta nua,” arsa an tAire agus é ag tagairt don gcaipéis uaillmhianach faoi thograí bhonneagair agus infheistíocht iomlán den €275 billiún a fograíodh an mhí seo cháite.

“Ag an am sin dúirt mé go raibh tograí agus tógáil ann a bheadh ina ‘game-changers’ le h-aghaidh muintir na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta. 

Is é seo an chéad cheann des na ‘game-changers’ sin le h-aghaidh muintir Inis Oirr agus le h-aghaidh muintir na n-oileán.

“Léiríonn an infhéistíocht seo go bhfuilimíd mar Rialtas dairíre faoi thodhchaí na n-oileán agus todhchaí muintir na n-oileán.”

Labhair an Aire freisin faoin imní atá léirithe ag oifigigh pleanála teanga faoin mhoill atá ar fhoilsiú ar thuairisc a rinneadh anuraidh ag déanamh athbhreithniú ar fheidhmiú deich gcinn de phleananna teanga. 

Thug John Prendergast, iar Oifigeach Phleanála Teanga i gCorca Dhuibhne, le fios agus é ag labhairt ar Adhmhaidin (RTÉ Ráidió na Gaeltachta) an tseachtain seo go raibh an mhoill ar fhoilsiú na tuarascála ag baint ón dtairbhe a bhféadfaí baint as comhairle faoi nithe a d’oibrigh nó beartais nár éirigh leo.

Bhí an méid seo le rá ag an Aire ar an ábhar.

“Tá proiseas athbhreithnithe ana thabhachtach is tá sé tábhachtach go ndéanfar é i gceart agus  nuair atá sé déanta ba cheart go mbeimíd ábalta é a fhoilsiú. 

“Tá an t-uafás oibre ar siúl ag oifigigh mo Roinn agus beidh mé ag cruinniu le na h-oifigigh an mhí seo chughainn chun an athbhreithniú a phlé agus táim ag iarraidh go mbeidh sé foilsithe chomh tuath agus is féidir.

“Ach tá sé tabhachtach freisin go mbeidh an athbhreithniú laidir agus go bhfoilseoimíd athbhreithniú atá laidir agus rud atáimíd ábalta obair air.”

Níos túisce i mbliana, tháinig sé chun solais go raibh géarchéim maoinithe ag Foras na Gaeilge de bharr ná raibh aon ardú tagtha ar an mhaoiniú don institiúid teanga tras teorainn le blianta fada.

Mar gheall ar sin, bhí dualgaisí dosheachanta ar an eagras a d’fhag iad gann ar tuairim is €800,000 a bheadh acu le dáileadh roimhe seo ar cheanneagraíochtaí ar nós Conradh na Gaeilge, Gael Linn agus eile.

Bhain cuid den fhadhb leis an easpa maoinithe le teip Roinn Chomhphobail Thuaisceart Éireann ardú comhréireach a thabhairt don bhForas de réir prionsabal 25/75 a leagadh síos nuair a bunaíodh an eagras i 1999 mar thoradh ar Chomhaontú Aoine an Chéasta.

Dúirt an tAire go raibh sé ag labhairt le Gordon Lyons, Aire Chomhphobail an Tuaiscirt ón bPáirtí Daonláthach Aondachtach (DUP), i rith an Earraigh.

“Tá na h-oifigigh i mo Roinn ag obair le h-oifigigh sa Tuaisceart ar an dúshlán sin. Bhí an obair sin ar siúl le linn an tSamhraidh.

“Táimíd dírithe ar an bhfadhb sin agus tuigim go mór an brú atá ar eagrais Ghaeilge agus níllim ag iarraidh go mbeadh na fadhbanna céanna agam an bhliain seo chughainn.”

Tá tacaíocht á fháil ag Beartas Gaeltachta The Journal ón Scéim Tuairiscithe ar Dhaonláthas Áitiúil

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There will be further announcements of major investments in Irish language and Gaeltacht infrastructure projects, the Gaeltacht Minister Dara Calleary has said following the announcement earlier on Thursday of a €35.75m pier extension on the smallest of the Aran islands.

Calleary, who is responsible for community and rural development as well as social care in relation to the Gaeltacht, said the investment announced on Inis Oírr was the single largest project his Department had announced since 2017.

“This is the biggest project, €35.7 million towards a new pier, new protection for the people of Inis Oírr. It is important not only for the people of Inis Oírr, who are the most important people in all of this.

“It is also important for the 200,000 tourists who come to Inis Oírr every year, ensuring they have safe and excellent facilities when they arrive, as well as for those living on Inis Oírr,” he said.

“This is the first announcement of the new National Development Plan,” the Minister said, referring to the ambitious document on infrastructure projects and a total investment of €275 billion announced last month.

“At that time, I said there were projects and developments that would be ‘game-changers’ for the people of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. This is the first of those ‘game-changers’ for the people of Inis Oírr and for the island communities.

“This investment shows that as a Government we are serious about the future of the islands and the future of the island communities.”

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The minister also spoke about concerns expressed by language planning officers regarding delays in publishing a report carried out last year reviewing the implementation of 10 language plans.

John Prendergast, former Language Planning Officer in Corca Dhuibhne, indicated on Adhmhaidin (RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta) this week that the delay in publishing the report was due to the potential benefits that could be gained from advice on what worked and policies that failed.

“The review process is very important and it’s vital that it is done properly, and once it is completed, we should be able to publish it,” the minister said.

“There is a huge amount of work ongoing by officials in my Department and I will meet with them this month to discuss the review.

“I want it published as soon as possible, but it’s also important that the review is thorough and that we publish a strong review that we can work with.”

Earlier this year, it emerged that Foras na Gaeilge was facing a funding crisis because there had been no increase in funding for the cross-border language institution for many years.

As a result, the agency had unavoidable obligations that left them short by around €800,000 in funding that had previously been distributed to key organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge, Gael Linn, and others.

Part of the problem related to the lack of funding due to the failure of the Northern Ireland Department for Communities to provide a proportional increase for Foras according to the 25/75 funding principle established when the agency was founded in 1999 as a result of the Good Friday Agreement.

The Minister said he had been speaking with Gordon Lyons, Northern Ireland’s Minister for Communities from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), during the spring.

“The officials in my Department are working with officials in the North on that challenge. That work has been ongoing through the summer.

“We are focused on that issue and I fully understand the pressure on Irish language organisations, and I do not want to face the same problems next year.”

The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme