Seven sing from same as Gaeilge hymn sheet

WHERE IS the anti-Irish language vote in the presidential election? In a remarkable article in The Irish Times yesterday (Tuarascáil) journalist Seán Tadhg Ó Gairbhí asked the seven candidates about their views on the language. One might have expected some disagreement among them regarding its value. After all, they are from different political backgrounds and commentators and letter writers often remark on the amount of time, money and effort “wasted” on Irish.

However, the uniformity of opinion among the candidates on the issue was surprising – all the candidates wanted to improve their fluency in Irish. Senator David Norris spoke of his run-ins with “fanatics” but also about those who encouraged him to speak Irish and forgave him his little mistakes; Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness said his love for Irish was “unrequited”; he did his best to learn, found it hard but was determined to improve; Independent candidate Dana Rosemary Scallon said that President Mary McAleese’s support for the language had encouraged her while Mary Davis had found that her Irish was improving as she spoke it during her campaign. Michael D – as befits a former Minister for the Gaeltacht – speaks Irish fluently and wanted to put the language front and centre if he makes it to the Áras.

And what of Seán Gallagher, dragon and entrepreneur? Surely, he would have no use for Irish? After all, isn’t it the Irish that is keeping us back, and entrepreneurs have no time for things of no value? Not a bit of it. Gallagher is taking private lessons and intends to be fluent by the end of his campaign. Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell then? He must surely be against it? He will certainly hoover up the anti-Irish vote. Party leader, Enda Kenny, made much of his plans to downgrade Irish at Leaving Cert during the last election campaign. Mitchell will talk some language sense then? Ah, no! Mitchell told Ó Gairbhí that he intended to “relearn” Irish and that his children attended a Gaelscoil. He’s for Irish.

Seven candidates and not a dissenting voice. Remarkable. Surely, if we are to believe what we read and hear, there is a huge anti-Irish language sentiment in the populace? These politicians and their strategists must have calculated that there were votes to be had from burying Irish and not praising it?

Let us be cynical about it, then. It is just symbolic; they are just going to recite a “cúpla focal” before events – much as the New Zealand rugby team perform the haka before a match – and that will be that. We are Irish; we like our symbols. In ancient times we might have expected our leader to mate with a horse to ensure a fertile reign. Now, we just ask them to struggle with the copula and irregular verbs. (Much to the relief, no doubt, of voters and candidates.) It is just one of those boxes that have to be ticked to be “properly” Irish, an affectation, living Latin for modern Ireland.

Or it is just a little superstition – like not walking under a ladder or waving bad luck away when you see a lone magpie. If those in power don’t speak a “cúpla focal” occasionally things will get even worse. It is Irish as incantation, as a spell to ward off evil spirits.

Perhaps. But it is still impossible to ignore the fact that no candidate wants to stand up and say: “Irish is useless.” There are, it would seem, simply no votes in such a stance.

And as for being cynical. Fourteen years ago, I spoke to candidates as they prepared for the race to the Áras, a race that one Mary McAleese won. I remember talking with her – in English. She was going to learn Irish. I wrote it down and thought “yeah, right”! But learn Irish she did and I have seen the President on her Irish course, sitting up with her classmates, doing what she promised to do. Ireland has one more fluent Irish speaker than it did 14 years ago. The next president will have big language bróga to fill.

Don’t for a second believe that it does not make a difference to people’s attitude. It does. There are many people – in the Gaeltacht and outside it – who use Irish and who value any support given to it. The fact that the President can converse in Irish gives much encouragement to them all. Yes, symbolism is not enough but a little idealism is no bad thing, a little push towards being something more, rather than less, is always positive. And staying positive in this cynical age is no mean thing. (And there are votes in it.)

TG4 will broadcast a bilingual debate with six of the candidates on Tuesday, October 18th, at 7pm. Dana Rosemary Scallon cannot take part due to a prior commitment