Investment in Gaeltacht arts marks beginning of Seachtain na Gaeilge
Minister Catherine Martin marked the beginning of Seachtain na Gaeilge by announcing €3.7 million in funding for promotion of the arts in the Gaeltacht. The funding will be provided over three years to Ealaín na Gaeltachta and represents an almost trebling of support.
The fund will be used to support a work programme to provide opportunities for language acquisition and enrichment to young people in the Gaeltacht through the language-based arts. It will provide for 5,000 students in 15 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas, support the creation of two full-time and two part-time posts and create an income opportunity for up to 14 artists.
Speaking at the announcement, Minister Martin said;
“Tá sárobair á dhéanamh ag Ealaín na Gaeltachta agus tá lúcháir orm a maoiniú a mhéadú ag tús Seachtain na Gaeilge seo. Sa choicís seo chugainn, tá deis againn go léir an oidhreacht chultúrtha iomlán denár dteanga a thuiscint. Tá an Rialtas seo dúthrachtach chun na healaíona Gaelacha a chur chun cinn agus a fhorbairt. Molaim do gach duine an réimse leathan ceoil, drámaí agus litríochta Gaelacha atá ar fáil againn anois.”
(“Ealaín na Gaeltachta has been doing fantastic work and I am delighted to expand its funding on the start of Seachtain na Gaeilge. The next two weeks are an opportunity for all of us to appreciate the rich cultural heritage of our language. This government is committed to promoting and developing Irish language arts and supporting artists to enrich our culture. I encourage everyone to check out the wide range of Irish language music, drama and literature that is out there and waiting to be discovered.”)
Rob O’Donnell, Irish Language Spokesperson for the Green Party, encouraged everyone to engage with the language over the next two weeks;
“Is deis í Seachtain na Gaeilge ár dteanga iontach a cheiliúradh, agus í a fhoghlaim muna raibh an seans ag daoine riamh. Do dhaoine a cheapann gur chaill siad an teanga leis na blianta, seo seans dóibh a gcúpla focal a úsáís agus a chleachtadh.
"Leis na blianta anuas b'fhéidir go raibh muid ag obair chun an teanga a shábháil, ach anois - le infheistíocht agus sárobair feachtasóirí agus ealaíontóirí - anosi tá spás culturtha rathúil sa Ghaeilge. Molaim do dhaoine féachaint ar "An Cailín Ciúin" agus scannáin eile atá tagtha amach le déanaí, dul chuig an chéad "Pop Up Gaeltacht" ina gceantar, éisteacht le podhchraoltáí nua ag plé gach ábhár agus leanúint ar Tiktokers agus Instagrammers atá ag cruthú meán suimiúl as Gaeilge. Cabhróidh iad seo go léir chun an teanga a aimsiú, agus is féidir linn a bheith bródúil léí - is linne í an Ghaeilge.”
(“Seachtain na Gaeilge is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our beautiful language, and for those who might not have learned it or who feel they have lost it over the years, to begin their journey of learning our national language and using their cúpla focal again.
“In previous years we might have been focusing on the survival of the language, thankfully with investment and the fantastic work of campaigning groups and artists, we now have supported a thriving cultural space as Gaeilge. I encourage people to watch "An Cailín Ciúin" and other feature length films made in recent years, to attend their local Pop up Gaeltacht and to follow Irish language creators on Tiktok, Instagram and other platforms. Exposure to the language can help us to discover it in new ways, and we can be proud of the continuous evolution of it - is linne í an Ghaeilge.”)
