The Government is to reverse a decision taken a decade ago to abolish direct elections to Údarás na Gaeltachta, a body that fosters development, Irish language preservation, industry, culture and community in the country’s seven Gaeltacht regions.
Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers, along with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin, have been given permission to publish a Bill which will restore the right of Gaeltacht communities to elect members to the board of the State Agency.
Under plans announced by Mr Chambers on Wednesday, 10 of the 16 places on the reconstituted Údarás board will be directly elected by the public living in Gaeltacht areas. The remaining six places will be appointed through open competition.
Each of the Gaeltacht areas will have at least one representative. The exceptions are the two regions with the largest Irish-speaking populations, Connemara and Donegal. Connemara will have three representatives while Donegal will have two.
A fundamental requirement for each elected member is that they must speak fluent Irish. This will be subject to a test. In addition, members elected to the board must live permanently in the areas from which they were elected, and cannot be members of the Oireachtas or of the European Parliament. There is a bar on members serving two full terms on the board.
The elections were scrapped by the Fine Gael-Labour Coalition in 2022 as part of a reorganisation of state agencies. The board of the agency was also reduced in size.
“There has been significant change in the role of the Údarás over the past ten years,” Minister Chambers said. “The language planning process has become a central part of its work. To ensure that each Gaeltacht community has a voice on the Údarás, we are enlarging the board and each Gaeltacht region will have a permanent member on the board.”
In the past, the three smaller Gaeltachts – Múscraí (Muskerry) in Cork; An Rinn (Ring) in Waterford; and Rath Carn and Baile Ghib in Co Meath – have had to rotate one board seat every two years. All will have a full board seat in future.
All those of voting age living in each Gaeltacht area are entitled to vote in the elections. In the past, they have coincided with local elections, but the enabling legislation and arrangements might not be in place by 2024, when the next local elections are held. As of now, the provisional date for the first elections under the new legislation is 2025.
Ms Martin said it was important that a strong link be established between Údarás and the communities it serves. “I hope the new arrangements will mutually benefit the Údarás and the Gaeltacht regions,” she said.
