Sinn Féin staged a protest outside Fine Gael headquarters on Dublin’s Mount Street this morning over the party’s policy on the Irish language.
Fine Gael has proposed that Irish become an optional subject for the Leaving Certificate but Sinn Fein believes the status quo should remain unchanged.
“In contrast to Fine Gael, Sinn Féin is committed to the protection and restoration of the Irish language,” Donegal South West TD Pearse Doherty said.
“Rather than taking measures that will contribute to the dissolution of Irish, we believe the state should in fact be taking constructive steps to strengthen, support and encourage its growth.
“Unlike Fine Gael’s proposal to de- prioritise Irish by removing it from the second level education system as compulsory, we in Sinn Féin commit ourselves 100 per cent to its promotion,” he said.
Mr Doherty said if the subject’s mandatory status in the Leaving Certificate were removed, there would be a drop in the number of students taking Irish in school, ending the language as it is known.
“It will have a huge impact on the Gaeltacht economy,” he continued. “There is a €50 million local economy there in relation to the Irish colleges in which 25,000 students attend those rural communities every year to learn the language".
The party published a list of proposals designed to protect the Irish language, including the appointment of an Aire Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta in Cabinet with responsibility to deliver on the 20 year strategy, a new statutory body to have sole responsibility for the development of Irish, and changes to the Irish Syllabus in schools.
“Equality is an integral part of a democratic society and this, as we have stated in our party’s manifesto, includes upholding the rights of Irish language speakers,” Mr Doherty said.
“We believe that the future of the Irish language depends upon the continuing existence of sustainable Gaeltacht communities where Irish remains the primary language of the community. These communities must be protected, supported and developed.”
Sinn Féin's Dublin South Central TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh and election candidates Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West) and Ruadhán Mac Aodháin (Dublin South East) also took part in the protest.
Several hundred students marched in Dublin yesterday in protest at Fine Gael’s proposal. The demonstrators staged a silent sit-down protest at Dáil Éireann before making their way to the party’s headquarters.
