The biggest challenge facing Udaras na Gaeltachta's new board will be the indifference and hostility of State bodies and institutions, the outgoing chairman, Udaras, Prof Gearoid O Tuathaigh, told Foram na Gaeltachta in Furbo, Co Galway, on Saturday.
"Unfortunately, it is our own State institutions which fail us the greatest and the most often," he said. Some of them were "blind, negative and unwelcoming" when Gaeltacht issues were brought to their attention.
Prof O Tuathaigh was talking on the second day of Foram na Gaeltachta, a forum organised by the co-ordinating body for the voluntary Irish-language sector, Comhdhail Naisiunta na Gaeilge, and the community development group, Meitheal Forbartha Gaeltachta, in advance of Udaras elections on December 4th.
Speaking on "Udaras na Gaeltachta's strategy in the next five years", Prof O Tuathaigh emphasised that its main strategic aim was "to underpin, strengthen and develop a living Gaeltacht community".
To that end, it was necessary that the Gaeltacht be regarded as Ireland's 33rd county when matters such as planning and infrastructure, which impacted on its linguistic heritage, were undertaken by the State and its institutions. No initiative should be undertaken in Gaeltacht areas without the "will, agreement and input" of Udaras, he said.
Prof O Tuathaigh identified five specific areas which the new board needed to regard as priorities. The Udaras needed:
to develop centres within the Gaeltacht - such as libraries, cinemas etc - which took into account the linguistic makeup of the Gaeltacht before they were built and not after the event.
to ensure that the necessary skills were available among Gaeltacht youth to enable them to take advantage of technological advances in work practices and to stay in their own locales.
to establish and develop information industries.
to provide employment in "new and imaginative ways" in underdeveloped areas which were strong linguistically but which suffered from a lack of investment.
and to develop the "social economy" of Gaeltacht areas in order to ensure that they remained as viable and living communities.
"Udaras na Gaeltachta is happy to accept that challenge and approach as it has done in the past," he said. Working plans would be drawn up which would lay down the aims which the various departments in the Udaras would undertake.
The plans would consider the staffing and financial requirements necessary, and a monitoring system would also be introduced to ensure continuous assessment of work in progress. In addition, mechanisms and structures would be established which would ensure "effective and dynamic partnership" between the Udaras and community groups.
Many of the concerns addressed by Prof O Tuathaigh were also raised on Friday night when a panel of politicians and Gaeltacht activists took part in a public question-and-answer session.
On the panel were the Minister of State for the Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and Islands, Mr Eamon O Cuiv; Micheal D. Higgins TD; Mr Donnacha O hEallaithe, chairman of the arts group; Plearaca and Maire Mhic Niallais, chairwoman of the Gweedore Development Co-operative. Mairead Ni Nuadhain of RTE chaired the session.
During an occasionally fractious session, the Minister of State strongly defended the Government's commitment to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. Responding to doubts raised as to whether the proposed language Act would ever come to be, Mr O Cuiv said the Government was committed to it and it would be enacted in this Government's lifetime.
While differing opinions were expressed on issues such as education, planning and the future of the Gaeltacht, one issue united many of the 150 people present. Asked for a show of hands as to whether TG4 was meeting the needs of the Gaeltacht community, only four people raised their hands.