Conradh na Gaeilge insists the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources should base Ireland's postcode system on the native Irish version of placenames, or on numbers only.
Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa, President of Conradh na Gaeilge said: "While the Conradh welcomes the introduction of postcodes, it is imperative that we avoid the fiasco of our motor registration plates based on the county names in English, and that we ensure from the word go that the native placenames in Irish are used for our postcodes, if the Minister still intends to use a mix letters and numbers."
Speaking at Conradh na Gaeilge's annual seminar at Oireachtas na Gaeilge last week, Dr Donnchadha Ó Corráin said that the Department of Communications intends to implement a postcode system in Ireland based on the English system and on the English version of Irish placenames, which is unacceptable in a country where there are two official languages. Postcodes consisting of numbers only are used in other bilingual countries whereby a sender can write the address in their language of choice as the postal delivery depends on the numeric information alone, but Minister Éamon Ryan is forsaking the opportunity to give the Irish language its just status and help promote a bilingual society.
Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary for the Conradh said: "It makes far more sense to use postcodes made up of numbers only but there is no reason, technical or otherwise, that placenames in the Irish-language could not be shortened to form Irish postcodes if the Minister goes ahead with a mix letters and numbers.
"Postcodes based on the shortened form of the placename in English only completely contradicts the Government's bilingual policy and contravenes the policies of the European Union that are committed to fostering and promoting minority languages."
The Minister for Communications, Éamon Ryan indicated that there was nothing in the recommendation from the National Postcode Project Board that would prevent a postcode being based on the Irish version of a placename "In the case of a town situated in the Gaeltacht", but he made no such promise nor mention of the Irish version of a placename being used in the case of any area beyond the Gaeltacht.
Conradh na Gaeilge is demanding that the Minister of Communications seizes the opportunity to base Ireland's new postcode system on native Irish placenames for both Irish- and English-speaking areas, if a system based on numbers only is not used. You can send an email to Minister Éamon Ryan from the Conradh's website at Postcodes to support this campaign and demand Irish-based postcodes for Ireland.
Further information:
Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa
President, Conradh na Gaeilge.
066 7124169 / 087 2901154
Julian de Spáinn
General Secretary, Conradh na Gaeilge.
01 4757401 / 086 8142757
