(Blog article) Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024

Darren J. Prior

It is five years ago exactly this month since I wrote my last column in an Irish publication about Seachtain na Gaeilge, and in that last column five years ago I wrote about the huge lack of residential areas with Irish language names in Dublin. Although, of course, the huge lack of such areas has been evident not only in the capital but in the Greater Dublin Area in general and some other counties for a long time, even by the end of the property boom we had in Ireland during the 2000’s.




My last column in 2019 was back then somewhat timely or relevant though with that years’ Seachtain na Gaeilge being celebrated that month, and the last Local and European elections being held a couple of months later.




Well we are back in March 2024 and from an Irish cultural point of view this means foremostly to most Irish people that St. Patrick’s Day and festival will be held and for many celebrated this month.




On a much smaller level but also on an international scale - leading us up to St. Patrick’s Day Seachtain na Gaeilge 2024 is again as usual being celebrated this month between 1st and St. Patrick’s Day itself the 17th March.

 

For those who are interested but unaware of them or some of them - I am delighted to report that there have been in recent years some big continued developments with the Irish language in the Greater Dublin Area and Ireland in general.




Cúla4 - the Irish language children’s television channel which is part of the TG4 Group and based beside TG4 in Conamara - was redeveloped and relaunched as a full TV channel last September and is now broadcast completely as Gaeilge from 06:00-20:00 every day. So we now have 2 Irish language television channels!!!

 

The Official Languages (Amendment) Act was passed in late 2021 overseen by then Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers.

 

Kildare’s second Gaelcholáiste (second-level Gaelscoil) Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad opened in Maynooth in 2020.




Dublin’s 11th Gaelcholáiste Coláiste na Tulchann in Clonsilla is expected to become a full Gaelcholáiste next year in 2025.

 

There are now over 50 Gaelscoileanna across County Dublin and there is a demand for six more at primary level and four new Gaelcholáistí in the county – and there is also a demand in Leixlip, Maynooth, Dunshaughlin and Kilcoole for more of these schools (in the latter four areas at primary level and I am only including demand in the Greater Dublin Area here).

 

Na Gaeil Óga CLG the Irish-speaking GAA club based in Lucan continues to go from strength to strength and they now have over 500 members, the majority of whom are young.

 

There are two other developments about the physical visibility of the Irish language in Dublin, though, that lovers of the Irish language should find encouraging also but which are either less known or less noticed. The first is a continuing development and the second is relatively new.




The Official Languages Act was passed in 2003, and in 2009 the section of it related to housing estate road signage came into law. Since then all new housing estate road signage (and some street signage) erected has to display the Irish language and English language road names in equal size.

 

I don’t know if this development in and of itself would constitute a hobby for me, and I am nowhere close to being an expert on placenames, but I personally like when I am travelling around Ireland in recent years seeing these signs and their growth in number, although they still are in the minority of signs.




It is a work in progress and in time all housing estate and at least much (perhaps one day all) street signage will be printed with equal status for both the Irish and English languages.




And from 1st January 2026 local authorities across the state will be obliged to update housing estates’ and some street signage in instances when complaints are made by members of the public to Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga (The Office of The Language Commissioner) where the as Gaeilge names are not printed as big as the as Béarla versions!

 

We now have Irish language legislation in Northern Ireland and there is a big growth in Irish/English bilingual housing estate road and some street signage in much of that part of Ireland also.




In the Dublin City Council City Development Plan (2022-2028) new residential areas built in Dublin City Council are to be named as Gaeilge-only, and examples of these are only beginning to be seen as most new residential areas built after 2022 until recently had already been named in English before the policy came into effect. The policy will have a positive knock-on affect in other areas of the county and country I believe.

 

Adding all of these initiatives together, shows that the Irish language is in some big ways at least on an upward trajectory in much of Ireland, north and south.




I don’t know what the future of the Irish language in the traditional Gaeltacht will bring. It is a pretty slow process but Dublin readers should I believe be proud, though, that we are living in a part of the country where the Irish language is on an upward trajectory in terms of the growth of Gaelscoileanna; the growth of Na Gaeil Óga CLG / GAA club; and the physical visibility of the language on state signage and with housing estate and apartment development names.