Fighting for Gaelic at the Ballot Box - Ireland's Voters are Called to Action

Turning the ballot box into a weapon in the struggle to advance the Irish Language, Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) are calling on Ireland's voting public to action.  Focusing on Galway, the campaign on behalf of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht (#GaelVota) is being put forward in the run-up to the general election. The Gaelic League made the following announcement:

 "Conradh na Gaeilge is asking local voters - those that are fluent Irish speakers, those that are learning Irish or indeed those that support the language  in any way - to put the following commitments to all candidates standing for election in their own constituency..."

The focus on Galway in this effort capiltalizes on the stength of the Irish Language in the area.  As the de facto capital city of the Gaeltacht,  Galway City in the west of Ireland has recently declared itself to be a bi-lingual city giving equal status to Irish alongside English.  Galway is also home to the Gaillimh le Gaeilge, which is a quasi government entity established in 1987 with the aim of promoting the Irish language as an economic resource.

It is in the tradition of the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) to play a prominent role in this campaign. Conradh na Gaeilge is the main voluntary community organisation that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and abroad. The League’s primary objective is the reinstatement of the Irish language as the common tongue of Ireland.  Since its founding in 1893, members have been actively promoting Irish in every aspect of life in Ireland, from legal and educational affairs to the development of media and services through Irish.  Members of the Gaelic League are in the forefront of campaigns to strengthen the rights of the Irish speaking community.

The keystone of the election campaign in support of the Irish language is an investment plan backed by a coalition of Irish-speaking groups, including all the Gaeltacht organizations across Galway, that have claimed that over 1,100 new job opportunities could be created in the Gaeltacht through Irish-language enterprises. The plan, coordinated by Conradh na Gaeilge, calls for an additional investment of €18 million per year to give substance to the plan. It has also called for the full implementation of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language and for the restoration of a separate, senior Minister for the Gaeltacht and the Irish Language. It also called for the creation of a full Oireachtas (Irish Legislature) committee dealing with the Irish language.

From the Gaelic League: 3 Main Commitments for the Irish Language & Gaeltacht:

1. An additional investment of €18 million in an Irish-language and Gaeltacht plan to expand the use of Irish and to create 1,175+ new jobs
2. The appointment of a senior Minister for Irish and for the Gaeltacht, who has Irish, so that there is Irish language input at the Government table
3. The establishment of a joint Oireachtas committee for the Irish language and Gaeltacht affairs of the same standing as other joint Oireachtas committees

The Full text of the Conradh na Gaeilge announcement can be found via the links below. 

https://cnag.ie/en/2016-elections/gaelv%C3%B3ta.html

https://cnag.ie/images/Plean_Infheist%C3%ADochta_Gaeilge__Gaeltachta/08M...

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/irish-language-groups-launch-inv...

http://connachttribune.ie/galway-election-candidates-urged-to-safeguard-...

 http://www.transceltic.com/blog/capital-of-ireland-s-gaeltacht-declares-...