Jack Chambers, Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport, announced on a visit to Galway City and the Connemara Gaeltacht that he has approved two further language plans under the language planning process, in respect of Galway City and the Gaeltacht Language Planning Area of Bearna and Cnoc na Cathrach respectively.
He made the announcement while with Gaillimh le Gaeilge (who will lead on the implementation of the language plan for Galway City plan ) An annual fund of up to €100,000 each over a seven-year period will be provided to assist with the implementation of each of these two plans.
This amounts to an investment of over €3m being announced for the development of the Irish language in Galway City and Gaeltacht - taking into account the three-year funding of up to €1.6m also being announced for the organisation Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta for the period of 01 January 2021 to 31 December
Meanwhile in a significant boost to Gaeltacht families, Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; and Minister Jack Chambers, announced the approval of a grant of €1,600,522 over a three-year period for the organisation Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta.
This allocation will be used to enable the organisation to continue providing practical supports to Gaeltacht families who are raising children through Irish or who wish to do so. This 3-year allocation for the period of the 1st of January 2021 to the 31st of December 2023 follows on the heels of an allocation of €1,027,613 fund approved by the Department for the organisation in 2018.
As a result of the increase of almost €573,000 in the allocation being approved, the organisation (which employs six ) will be able to expand the range of activities and supports it administers in the various Gaeltacht areas as additional support for the implementation of both the language planning process and the policy for Gaeltacht education. Under the allocation announced today, Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta will be able to: -
— Continue to provide and further develop the range of events and activities they currently operate including the Family Support Package, Literature Programme, Letters to Santaí, Oral Arts Programme, Irish Language Cinema, Book Clubs and Storytelling Sessions.
— Establish a new Gaeltacht Family support programme. Under this measure Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta will work with families locally in the Gaeltacht areas - under the overall stewardship of the Department and in partnership with the network of Language Planning Officers appointed under the language planning process, to create support networks between families, as well as providing them with practical supports - both ‘introductionary events’ and ‘social events’. In addition to this, families will be presented with an activity card and will be able to spend a certain amount of that card on the organisation’s activities - for example, music or drama classes. There will be regular contact with the families to monitor and seek feedback from them.
Minister Martin said this funding is a reflection of the Government’s commitment to supporting the successful implementation of the language planning process as an integral part of the implementation of the Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018–2022 and the overarching 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030.
“With this additional allocation, Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta will have the opportunity to build on the important work done over the past three years with the ongoing assistance of my Department.”
Minister of State Chambers said that “Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta has been doing very important work for the last three years with the continued assistance of my Department in supporting Gaeltacht families to raise their children through Irish. The fund announced today will make a significant contribution to the successful implementation of the language planning process which is now gathering momentum across the Gaeltacht.”
