Does signage in Irish as well as English really matter? Just about everybody can read written English, so why bother with signage in Irish as well?
The conclusions some unionists come to is that Irish signage is supported by backward-looking people who want to annoy unionists. They don’t need signs in Irish, so clearly their intent is to rile people who see Irish signage as a whittling away of British identity.
I could go on at some length about the role of Protestant clergymen in saving the Irish language at the end of the nineteenth century, but I won’t. Instead I’ll try to crack this question: why learn or use Irish?
The best argument I know was put forward by a prominent Irish language enthusiast many years ago. “Consider the whale”. he said.
At least 99% of us don’t use the whale on a daily or weekly or even annual basis. It plays no part in our life. In that sense, the whale is a useless species. You could say the same for Irish: the great majority of people, north and south, don’t have any connection on a daily basis with Irish. We get along just fine without it.
But supposing someone said “We’re lifting the ban on whale-hunting and we’re going to hunt and kill that big brute until it dies out as a species. No more whale. Useless creature.” Even the least enthusiastic would probably be horrified that humanity would neglect or abuse or annihilate such a wonderfully large, complex, beautiful creature. In short, you could argue the case for the whale even if you never used it.
Precisely the same could be said of Irish. It is an ancient, complex and dazzlingly beautiful language, and the thought that Irish people might allow it to die out is nothing short of criminal. British imperialists taught us to despise our own language, our own culture, and to adopt theirs if we wished to progress – or even survive.
So now to the practical bit.
Belfast City Council have a public consultation survey live on line – with a deadline of 05 August – regarding recommendations for signage at parks, and facilities etc.
There are 3 – 5 opportunities in each instance to recommend bi-lingual signage / make known they’re not yet shared spaces / could be more welcoming to the thriving Irish-language community in the north of the city (with 4 Irish-medium nurseries, 3 primaries, talk of a second Meánscoil being founded, and, of course – adjacent to north Belfast’s only Irish-language arts/cultural/educational facility, Áras Mhic Reachtain (recognised as one of the best Irish-language arts and cultural centres in Ireland).
So what I’m urging anyone who sees Irish signage, not as some whittling away of Britishness but as a very reasonable desire for equality for our native language – check the link, add your name, play your part. We have something wonderful here. We should do all we can to support it.
Survey link: https://t.co/N3AnLnZjrn
Is mór an trua é but most of your readers don’t know what a whale is.
Ha ha – Sure wan’t there one beached in Kerry the other week??
We were once visited by an American friend whom we brought for a walk to show him the view over the coast. I told him that on a clear day one could see Wales from a certain point. His response was to ask “And would they be Minkes?”
Eoin Mac Neill used to tell of an Orangeman who was shown a giraffe in Dublin Zoo. He said “There is no such animal”