Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 September 2022
7. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the funding, if any, that is available to voluntary groups to partake in Irish-language activities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47369/22]
View answerTá brón orm arís a Aire Stáit gur chuir mé an cheist seo isteach i mBéarla. What funding is available to voluntary groups to partake in Irish language activities?
Foras na Gaeilge provides many funding opportunities for voluntary and other groups to access funding to partake in Irish language activities and promote the Irish language generally. These include opportunities in the areas of youth activities, summer camps, the arts, festivals and literature, Irish-language networks and community development. Supports are also available for local businesses who might wish to create an Irish-language friendly environment in their workplace by using bilingual signage, for example. The Foras na Gaeilge website, www.forasnagaeilge.ie, contains a section on funding schemes which lists the opportunities currently open to applications and also those where the application deadline has passed. This is particularly useful to help local voluntary groups plan well ahead for next year for seasonal opportunities, such as summer camps, for example.
To give some idea of the scope of the work, some 68 summer camps throughout the island of Ireland received funding to support their work in 2021.
Forty-seven festivals and seven major arts events received funding and 36 communities received a commitment to funding over a three-year period.
My Department also provides funding to an ciste spreagtha, which is administered by Conradh na Gaeilge. A sum of €150,000 was made available for this initiative during 2022. After the few difficult years that community groups experienced during the pandemic, this funding was made available to organise community events through Irish, helping to re-energise the use of Irish at face-to-face events. This fund attracted a high level of interest from community groups; 171 applications were received by Conradh na Gaeilge under this scheme and funding was offered to 160 of the applicants. A wide range of events were organised with something suitable for all ages and all levels of Irish.
The Irish language supports schemes section in my Department directly funds a number of initiatives and projects with a voluntary element. Many of the initiatives funded under this scheme are managed by organisations with voluntary committees or in which voluntary work is a major component of the overall effort. These include Raidió Rí-Rá, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, Gaillimh le Gaeilge, Gnó Mhaigh Eo, Cill Dara le Gaeilge and the Na Gaeil Óga GAA club. The Irish language supports schemes funding provision in 2022 is €6.45 million for current spending and €3.5 million for capital spending. I am pleased to confirm that this week's budget announcement has brought the current allocation under the Irish language supports schemes to €8.2 million for 2023.
Fáiltím roimh an €8 milliún sin arís.
I will follow up in relation to some of the items the Minister of State listed. I am aware that organisations in Cork, such as Gael-Taca Corcaigh, receive funding through the Irish language support scheme. It is great to see that this will continue into the future. I welcome all the other items that the Minister of State listed, from summer camps right down to funding local businesses which conduct their business through the medium of Irish or at least offer that facility. If I could follow up specifically in relation to capital funding, be it for cultural centres for any other Irish language activity, is there a specific funding stream for capital funds that groups can avail of?
As I referenced, there is €3.5 million for capital spending. While the predominant allocation is for current expenditure on festival events and activities, there is a capital dimension to some of the funding around the language support scheme. We welcome engagement from groups around a variety of initiatives from a current spending perspective. Obviously, the predominant allocation of capital is specifically within Gaeltacht areas but we fund certain projects outside of the Gaeltacht from a language perspective. As I said, my officials are always there to engage on any ideas or proposals that people might have.
Chun críochnú, I would welcome any engagement that the Minister of State could afford me and a group in Glanmire which we are hoping to get off the ground. There was an organisation in Dublin that did something similar in Clondalkin in terms of applying for capital funding in a breac-Ghaeltacht or a non-Gaeltacht area. It is good to see that this fund would be available to them. I would invite the Minister of State, on the next occasion when he is in Cork, to meet with that group. At that stage, we might have something more advanced. We have our naíonra, our bunscoil and our scoil dara leibhéal in Coláiste an Phiarsaigh. Glanmire is a vibrant Irish-language community and it is worthy of investment. I would welcome the Minister of State's support for that in the near future.
I would be happy to engage. We welcome all community groups and the effort and energy they put in from a volunteer perspective in promoting the language and developing it within their local communities. We see phenomenal effort and a huge impetus to really drive the language over the coming years. We are seeing many more opportunities now in the language with the new Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, which will see public services - the 20% target - but which will be complemented by a huge amount of community and voluntary effort where we can really strengthen the language in communities.
As the Deputy has referenced, there is a strong Irish-language community in Glanmire. I am happy to meet and engage with them on my next visit to Cork. I look forward to that.
The Minister of State might call in to Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua when he is on the road. Bheadh fíor-fháilte roimhe.
Is it not just off the motorway?
Just down theas, yes.
