As ‘CEARTA: National Protest of the Irish Language’ painted Dublin city red, news reporter Ben Sweeney asks what was behind the movement
On 20 September, approximately 25,000 Irish language activists descended on Dublin City centre for the first national demonstration in over a decade.
The ‘CEARTA’ (which translates to ‘rights’) protest called for additional Government support in four key areas: full implementation of Irish language rights legislation, increased government funding for Irish language organisations and the wider community, the creation of additional housing in Gaeltacht areas to protect Irish speaking communities, and the expansion of educational language rights to every child north and south of the border.
Leading Irish language organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge, BANÚ, and An Dream Dearg were present at the event, with activists traveling from all four provinces of Ireland to advocate for increased government attention. Among the activists was Liam Smyth - a final year UCD student who lives in UCD’s ‘Teach na Gaeilge’. He is also a committee member of the Irish language society, ‘Cumann Gaelach’.
Smyth attended the protest to show support for the Irish language and he feels that the Government could be doing more to promote Irish. Conradh na Gaeilge reported that only 0.1% of the state’s budget is spent on Irish speaking organisations.
Smyth was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who attended the protest and hopes that more protests will be organised. In particular, he was taken aback by how many different demographics were present on the day, saying “it attracts people from a wide range of ages”. Conradh na Gaeilge President Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin declares they will “return to the streets again and again” until their demands are met.
Some are calling for a “radical increase” in language funding, but former UCDSU Irish Language Officer Kate Lawlor is not optimistic about their prospects. She doubts a decrease is on the cards, but believes groups will receive similar funding. Only time will tell if the striking images in Dublin will have changed politicians’ minds.