[lg policy] Re: Northern Ireland: How the Irish language drove a wedge between Northern Ireland's Assembly

[Dave Sayers]

BBC Radio 4 had a segment on the Today programme this morning, picking up on the 
language angle of the NI impasse: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b088sh82#playt=49m. 
(If that link doesn't take you to the right spot, just scroll to 49 minutes in.)

Dave

--
Dr. Dave Sayers, ORCID no. 0000-0003-1124-7132
Senior Lecturer, Dept Humanities, Sheffield Hallam University | www.shu.ac.uk
Honorary Research Fellow, Cardiff University & WISERD | www.wiserd.ac.uk
dave.sayers at cantab.net | http://shu.academia.edu/DaveSayers



> Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2017 11:20:06 -0500
> From: Harold Schiffman <hfsclpp at gmail.com>
> Subject: [lg policy] Northern Ireland: How the Irish language drove a
> 	wedge between Northern Ireland's Assembly
> To: lp <lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu>
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAB7VSRDZ6u-USfGAD+E80hK8VQFzby4rTNsJEjj2+pAuFViGbQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> How the Irish language drove a wedge between Northern Ireland's Assembly A
> movement has begun to protest against decisions taken by the Assembly
> ‘against’ the Irish language.
> 9 hours ago 14,008 Views 60 Comments
> <http://www.thejournal.ie/northern-ireland-irish-language-3179468-Jan2017/#comments>
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>
> DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER Martin McGuinness resigned on Monday after a month of
> political outrage over the the renewable energy scheme scandal, which could
> cost the government up to half a billion pounds.
>
> Although there is a lot of talk around First Minister Arlene Foster and the
> DUP’s ‘arrogance’ over their handling of the botched Renewable Heating
> Incentive (RHI) – the role of the Irish language in Northern Ireland has
> been becoming an equally tricky issue for Stormont’s two ‘powersharing’
> political parties.
>
> Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Sinn Féin’s finance minister and former mayor of
> Belfast, said on Raidió na Gaeltachta’s Cormac ag a Cúig
> <http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_cormacagacuig.xml> that
> McGuinness had been left with no alternative but to resign and that his
> patience had effectively ‘ran out’.
>
> He said that it was because of the level of “disrespect and hate”, they
> couldn’t stay in government with the DUP, and wouldn’t be returning to the
> status quo after an election.
>
> Political commentators have suggested that the party is under pressure from
> its support base to stop compromising with the DUP on core Sinn Féin issues
> – which led to poor nationalist turn-outs in the last election.
>
> [image: Renewable Heat Initiative allegations] Source: PA Wire/PA Images
>
> Although Ó Muilleoir mentioned that Foster had been the ‘architect’ of the
> RHI scandal that has caused so much controversy, he added that the second
> reason for the resignation was the DUP’s refusal to engage with policies
> around the Irish language in the North.
>
> Up until the latest Stormont Assembly with Arlene Foster and McGuinness at
> the helm, discussions and policies around Irish language policies had been
> stagnant at worst – with talk around the implementation of an Irish
> Language Act ongoing (commitment to preserve, develop and promote Irish is
> part of the Good Friday Agreement).
>
> But recently DUP members had began to implement regressive policies with
> regard to the Irish language: such as the new Agriculture Minister renaming
> a boat from the Irish ‘Banraíon Uladh’ to ‘Queen of Ulster’ at a cost of
> £302, according to Tuairisc.ie
> <http://tuairisc.ie/dorn-san-aer-do-na-gaeil-dornalaithe-oilimpeacha-ag-tacu-le-feachtas-nua-ar-son-na-gaeilge/>
> .
>
> Last month, the Assembly’s Communities Minister Paul Givan withdrew funding
> for the Líofa Irish language bursary fund, which was worth about £50,000
> per year.
>
> According to the BBC <http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-38422550>,
> an email was sent out on the night before Christmas Eve telling employees
> “Because of efficiency savings, the department will not be providing the
> Líofa bursary scheme in 2017. Happy Christmas and Happy New Year.”
>
> The fund allowed at least 100 students from disadvantaged areas to attend a
> Gaeltacht in Co Donegal, and led Gerry Adams to call the move ”an ignorant
> decision taken by an ignoramus”.
>
> Funding for the expansion of five Irish language schools has been refused
> by the DUP education minister, saying that ‘demands are being met’ despite
> some schools seeing an increase in students enrolling.
>
> Previous education minister John O’Dowd of Sinn Féin made moves to
> refurbish and even open Irish language schools, which caused controversy as
> it was said that there wasn’t sufficient demand to justify the move when
> the department had to make cuts of £198 million.
>
> When Peter Weir replaced O’Dowd as education minister in May 2016, he said
> that there would be ‘no favouritism for Irish language schools’ and called
> O’Dowd’s promotions of the Irish language an ‘obsession’.
>
> *An Dream Dearg*
>
> In the wake of these series of moves against the Irish language – arguably
> aiding An Ghaeilge by stoking up anger – a movement has begun online of
> Northern Irish citizens who are enraged by what they see as disrespect
> shown to the Irish language and Irish culture through policy implementation.
>
> Those who support the campaign have changed their profile picture on
> Twitter to a red icon with a white circle. The protest is called ‘An Dream
> Dearg’ (The Red Crowd) in an ode to protests in the Republic of Ireland,
> which ran with the slogan ‘dearg le fearg’ or ‘red with anger’ over what
> was perceived as unsuitable appointments to government departments dealing
> with the Irish language.
>
> Some high-profile names have showed their support for ‘An Dream Dearg’
> including two boxing competitors from the Rio Olympic Games: Paddy Barnes
> and Michael Conlan.
>
> http://www.thejournal.ie/northern-ireland-irish-language-3179468-Jan2017/
>
>

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