Click the link to SIGN ONLINE PETITION
To Try and help the continuance of Fionse – Ireland’s Last Irish Language Newspaper.
Closing Date for Submission 26th June 09
It has come to my attention today that the Irish language weekly newspaper Foinse may only be in publication for two more editions – on the 21st and the 28th of this month, due to a lack of funding. Some of you may remember my post last year on the future of Lá Nua, the daily Irish language newspaper from Belfast, which sadly has since ceased to exist, again due to a lack of funding. Slowly and little by little, the support for Irish language is being destroyed by this incompetent government, but the problem is that while we hear about the “popular” news items regarding their destructive touch, issues such as the Irish language are sidelined and fail to make front news headlines.
While many of us have mixed feelings about the Irish language, we need to put aside our negative associations and realise that the termination of Ireland’s ONLY remaining Irish language newspaper has a knock-on effect for all of us, whether we speak the language or not. It affects our culture, out national pride and our identity and we should not allow that to be destroyed at the hands of an incompetent bunch of idiots – it is not theirs to ransack and destroy, no more than they have the right to build a major road practically next to the Hill of Tara. We have to ask – if this present government thinks nothing of destroying milestones of our culture, be it national newspapers or heritage sites – WHAT IS NEXT? Clearly, absolutely nothing is sacred to them – except their pensions, perhaps!
Our culture was around long before these imbeciles were and will exist long after they cease. Hopefully our language will do so too, but I don’t share the optimism of others out there in this regard. Without support our language will dwindle into oblivion forever!
Ireland has trouble enough, dealing with its share of the global credit crunch, but in good auld timely fashion there are always those who would come along to drag us further down into the quagmire. I have always been very proud of Ireland and our heritage and carried a heartfelt joy at being Irish, but lately I am finding it hard to hold my head up.
Following the recent renewed spate of violence in the North of Ireland I feel ashamed.
These murderous traitors to the Irish way-of-life, do not represent me as an Irish person nor do they reflect my views. Do these people, who are doing these terrible things, not think that Ireland has enough problems and sadness to worry about with the recession, without pilling more heartache on top of the Country’s concerns?
It’s time that it was realised that the Irish people no longer want violence… that Ireland can sort out it’s differences by other means and that these terrorists no longer represent Ireland nor will they be allowed to be the voice of it’s people!
Fundamental Rights
Personal Rights (Part 2)
4 1° No citizen shall be deprived of his personal liberty save in accordance with law.
2° Upon complaint being made by or on behalf of any person to the High Court or any judge thereof alleging that such person is being unlawfully detained, the High Court and any and every judge thereof to whom such complaint is made shall forthwith enquire into the said complaint and may order the person in whose custody such person is detained to produce the body of such person before the High Court on a named day and to certify in writing the grounds of his detention, and the High Court shall, upon the body of such person being produced before that Court and after giving the person in whose custody he is detained an opportunity of justifying the detention, order the release of such person from such detention unless satisfied that he is being detained in accordance with the law.
3° Where the body of a person alleged to be unlawfully detained is produced before the High Court in pursuance of an order in that behalf made under this section and that Court is satisfied that such person is being detained in accordance with a law but that such law to the Supreme Court by way of case stated and may, at the time of such reference or at any time thereafter, allow the said person to be at liberty on such bail and subject to such conditions as the High Court shall fix until the Supreme Court has determined the question so referred to it.
4° The High Court before which the body of a person alleged to be unlawfully detained is to be produced in pursuance of an order in that behalf made under this section shall, if the President of the High Court or, if he is not available, the senior judge of that Court who is available so directs in respect of any particular case, consist of three judges and shall, in every other case, consist of one judge only.
5 ° Nothing in this section, however, shall be invoked to prohibit, control, or interfere with any act of the Defence Forces during the existence of a state of war or armed rebellion.
6° Provision may be made by law for the refusal of bail by a court to a person charged with a serious offence where it is reasonably considered necessary to prevent the commission of a serious offence by that person.
Following a recent conversation it dawned on me that maybe, we as people have a tendency to take the Irish Constitution for granted… I mean this is the fundamental law, of the land we live in! Hence, I decided to read the Constitution again with an older mind set than that of the young Irish person who did years ago… What struck me most was what an incredible work the Irish Constitution really is… It was truly before its time. Not with in the stifling language of the law, but in the language of every day people it is a literary work we should be proud of… and aware of its implications for our society today. With this in mind I have decided to post regular “bite-sized” extracts from the founding document… and start with its relevance to the person and their fundamental rights.
Fundamental Rights
Personal Rights (Part 1)
Article 40
1. All citizens shall, as human persons, be held equal before the law.
This shall not be held to mean that the State in its enactments have due regard to differences of capacity , physical and moral, and of social function.
2. 1° Titles of nobility shall not be conferred by the State.
2° No title of nobility or of any honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the government.
3. 1° The State guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate the personal rights of the citizens.
2° The State shall, in particular, by its laws protect as best it may from unjust attack and, in the case of injustice done, vindicate the life, person, good name, and property of every citizen.
3° The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.
This subsection does not limit freedom to travel between the State and another state.
This subsection shall not limit freedom to obtain or make available, in the State, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by law, information relating to services lawfully available in another state.
When it comes to the Irish language there really are some insecure B.S. artists out there! I recently had the misfortune of having a conversation with an old-school Irish speaker – Correct grammar was all important and the occasional English word thrown in was a cardinal sin… the “proper use of Irish” or not-at-all approach was more important than the “every-day” speaking and growth of the Irish language. Pride coming before a fall. As many, the only hope of recovering my Irish language roots is through the occasional interjection of English words. I come from the school of thought that says: the purpose of language is to communicate… not to promote elitism at the cost of a culture.
Don’t get me wrong – I truly believe that proper grammar and all the trimmings of correct language usage are something to be aspired to – and those great in the technical application of a language should be respected and not feared… but respect is earned, not taken, especially, by putting down beginners who are striving to learn. Once you have acquired a high standard of usage of a language it’s easy to look down on those who are not quite to your standard, but that’s just insecurity dressed up as pomp! I want Irish to retake its place in our culture (it’s a unique, beautiful and expressive language) and I want to learn it, without the rebuke of those who are better in its usage than me! When I encounter fluent Irish speakers use the occasional English word as is the modern trend, I feel more at ease and inspired… old ideas get buried with the past and I really want to see the Irish language grow, not wither, because of stick-in-the-mud ideals – If people are passionate about using a language, they will naturally seek the correct grammar.
I had only one response for my elitist companion… I can find more people who fear speaking the language because of people with his idea of “Irish” – than he can fluent speakers. Sadly! Needless to say, there are those who will not change and if the Irish language fades, I hope it will not be because of my fear of people like that… I intend to continue my rediscovery of the Irish language… and little by little, get better at its proper usage – and who knows, one day…!
It took me a little while to take to RTE’s “In the Name of the Fada” which sees American comedian Des Bishop in a bid to become a fluent Irish speaker. Last nights show, featured him returning to America to see what the reactions to his new found language would be… Following the show I was filled with several emotions. I felt hope for the language but most of all I felt ashamed… ashamed of myself. You see, my school days, tried to knock out of me, any passion I would have had for the Irish language. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a love of the language and while I would understand a good bit of Irish, I feel my standard is not what it should be! I can comfortably listen to Irish conversations and follow what’s being said, when I try to speak ‘as Gaeilge’ I clam up and become tongue-tied… Something I’ve never overcome.
What struck me most about Des Bishops visit to America was one particular Korean gentleman he met on his journey. It was amazing: The man in question, who had never been to Ireland, was conversing in fluent Irish. It put me in mind of a recent post on Maria Horan in which she discusses the future of Irish and foreign speakers of the language. The Korean man was case-in-point! I was filled with great pride also… just to see the reach our wondeful language has and the effect it has on people!
Like so many people I have allowed my own personal history to impede my ability to speak what is my ‘native tongue’ – something I am ashamed of… Something that I intend to change! I now intend to begin my own journey to recapture my ability to speak ‘as Gaeilge’… and be proud of the heritage as oppossed to afraid!
Lá Nua, the Irish language newspaper is under threat of closure after having been published for more than twenty years. This would come as yet another loss to Irish heritage… It seems that in a time when the Irish are being asked to embrace an influx of different cultures into Ireland, we are slowly losing touch with our own. Below is a worthwhile link, to a petition to Foras na Gaeilge, the cross-border Irish language body, to support Lá Nua, the Irish language daily newspaper, to ensure its survival and to put a proper basis under the future development of the Irish language print journalism.
Tar i gcabhair ar Lá Nua/Support Lá Nua
