An accusation that Ros na Run, the popular Teilifis na Gaeilge soap, is contributing to a further anglicisation of the Connemara Gaeltacht has been firmly rejected by the television station.
Udaras na Gaeltachta, the development authority, has also rejected the criticisms by one of its board members, Mr Pol O Foighil.
At a recent board meeting, and on Raidio na Gaeltachta this week, Mr O Foighil expressed concern at the amount of English being used on the set of Ros na Run, which employs 90 people.
A joint venture between Eo Teilifis and Leirithe Thir Eoghain, Ros na Run is set in a fictional Gaeltacht village. It is intended to reflect modern life in a small community.
It has proved to be a major success, not only for TnaG but also for RTE, which broadcast it during the past two summer seasons.
The series combines well-known actors including Macdara O Fathara and Brid ni Neachtain of the Abbey Theatre with young talent, and is filmed in a custom-built production facility in Spiddal.
Mr O Foighil's criticisms arose during discussion of a recent application by Eo Teilifis and Udaras na Gaeltachta for about £1 million to expand facilities. Concern about recent storylines in the series, including the handling of homosexual relationships, was also voiced during the debate.
A spokesman for Udaras na Gaeltachta said that the authority was very happy with the series, and that it had a good working relationship with both production companies.
Both companies had been trying to train young people from the Gaeltachts, but it was inevitable that some skilled staff might not be Irish-speaking at this early stage.
Eo Teilifis had agreed to sit down with the authority's language and cultural training division in advance of a final decision later this month on support for the proposed expansion, the spokesman said. This was normal procedure in any grant application.
Mr Cathal Goan, chief executive of TnaG, also rejected the criticisms. "Irish is the main language used on the Ros na Run set, and the programme itself is hugely popular," he said.
The debate comes as concern increases among Irish-language activists about the decline in its use within the defined Gaeltacht areas.
A recent survey published in Cuisle magazine, and based on census figures, indicated that less than 25 per cent of the Gaeltacht population now lived within areas where Irish could be regarded as the dominant community lan guage.
A campaign has been started to seek deferment of forthcoming Udar as elections until Gaeltacht boundaries have been revised.
