Gaeltacht areas are still the heartland of the Irish language, despite a chronic lack of support by central and local government, a conference was told at the weekend.
The annual conference of Conradh na Gaeilge in Tralee, Co Kerry, heard a call for the introduction of three-month schemes for teenagers to learn Irish in Gaeltacht schools and for placement with Irish-speaking families during the normal school year free of charge.
The new president of Conradh na Gaeilge, Mr Seagh Mac Siúrdáin, called for the "legalisation" of the human rights of native Irish-speakers. Mr Mac Siúrdáin, a health worker in Galway and a trade unionist, has replaced Mr Tomás Mac Ruairí.
Conradh na Gaeilge was not involved in party politics, Mr Mac Siúrdáin said. However, he asked TDs and senators to support the Official Languages (Equality) Bill 2002, which is to come back before the Seanad shortly.
"It's more than about Irish rights. It's about human rights," he said.
The Mental Health Act had no provisions for psychiatric treatment through Irish, he said. "People who are suffering from mental illness will fall back on their native language."
It was heartbreaking to hear of accounts in general hospitals as well as in psychiatric hospitals of patients, particularly older patients, being effectively isolated for days because they could not communicate their problems to nursing staff and consultants.
For people with learning difficulties and for speech therapy diagnostics, there were no Irish language resources. There was nothing for Irish-speakers suffering from dyslexia.
Native Irish-speakers in Connemara and elsewhere were choosing to rear their children through English so as not to cut them off from basic services, said Mr Mac Siúrdáin. The Equality Act should be looked at to secure basic rights for Irish-speakers.
Mr Seán Ó Drisceoil, former tánaiste of Conradh na Gaeilge, said services and infrastructure had not been provided to back up the philosophy of supporting Irish.
There were 30,000 people in the "self-contained" Galway Gaeltacht, the same as in Co Leitrim, yet the area still did not have a fire brigade.
"We copy without question English models. These are models made for over-populated countries. We should look instead to Scotland where they guaranteed the rights of locals," Mr Ó Drisceoil said.
A distinction needed to be made, he added, between Conradh's approach to Irish in the Gaeltacht, where it should support native speakers, and its approach outside, which was to promote use of the language.