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53% of New Dáil Supports Irish-Language & Gaeltacht Commitments, Conradh na Gaeilge calls for immediate action

Teachtaí Dála a thacaíonn le #GaelVóta84 TDs elected in general election in the south have pledged official support for investment plan & representative measures agreed by 80+ community groups

With 84 TDs elected to the 32nd Dáil officially supporting three main Irish-language and Gaeltacht commitments, over 80 community groups welcomed the news that a majority of newly elected TDs support their commitments, including an investment plan and various representative measures for the language.

Over 53% of TDs now support the Irish-language and Gaeltacht commitments, and Conradh na Gaeilge is calling on the newly elected members of Dáil Éireann to urgently prioritise the following main commitments in current ongoing talks regarding a programme for government or restructuring of the Dáil:

  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; and
  3. The establishment of a joint Oireachtas committee for the Irish language and Gaeltacht affairs of the same standing as other joint Oireachtas committees.

Cóilín Ó Cearbhaill, President of Conradh na Gaeilge says:

“This is a huge step forward for the Irish-language and Gaeltacht community as we can now legitimately argue that a majority of TDs support our commitments and therefore that the three main commitments should be implemented, regardless of how the final Government is formed. Conradh na Gaeilge is calling on every TD to implement the guarantees and promises they made in regard to the language and the Gaeltacht community with the electorate in the current talks about a programme for government or restructuring of the Dáil.”

Contact details for every TD who pledged support for the Irish-language and Gaeltacht commitments prior to the general election in the south can be found at www.cnag.ie/gaelvota, and Conradh na Gaeilge is asking local communities to get in touch with newly elected TDs in their constituency to remind their representatives to prioritise these commitments in any talks pertaining to a programme for government or restructuring of the Dáil before Wednesday, 10 March 2016.

 

Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge says:

“Ní neart go cur le chéile – there is strength in unity, and thanks to the community effort in the general election in the south as part of the #GaelVóta campaign so far, a majority of TDs elected to Dáil Éireann agree with the main Irish-language and Gaeltacht commitments. This is only the first step however – Conradh na Gaeilge is asking voters to seize the opportunity to call on this majority of newly elected TDs to make these Irish-language and Gaeltacht commitments an immediate priority in any ongoing talks for a programme for government or restructuring of the Dáil.”

Further information on the Irish-language and Gaeltacht commitments and the representative measures being sought by Conradh na Gaeilge can be found at www.cnag.ie/gaelvota, via email from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with the Twitter hashtag #GaelVóta, or by calling Conradh na Gaeilge at 00353 (0)1 4757401.

 

 

Conradh na Gaeilge

6 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2.
Phone: +353 (0) 1 475 7401, Fax: +353 (0) 1 475 7844, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.