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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 18 May 1977

Vol. 299 No. 8

Adjournment Debate. - Cúrsaí “Amárach”.

Thug an Teachta Tunney fógra dom go raibh sé ar intinn aige ceist Amárach a thógáil ar an atráthú. De réir na mBuan-Orduithe caithfidh an Dáil dul ar atráth ar 9.00 a chlog p.m. ar a dhéanaí. Féadfaidh an Teachta Tunney, le comhaontú, labhairt ar feadh dhá-thrian den am a bheidh fágtha agus tabharfaidh an tAire freagra air ansin. Tá beagnach 15 nóiméid fágtha, deich don Teachta Tunney agus cúig d'Aire na Gaeltachta.

Go hiondúil labhraímse i nGaeilge, ach de bhrí go bhfuil an cheist seo chomh tábhachtach labhróidh mé as Béarla. I propose addressing the House in the English language because I believe the matter which I am about to discuss is one of the most important matters affecting the Gaeltacht that has arisen during my membership of this House. I accept the fact that it will get a greater audience and, I hope, better readership if I say what I am going to say in the English language.

I accuse the Minister for the Gaeltacht of having killed an Irish paper which has been in existence for 35 years because the editor of that paper was not prepared to yield to a Minister or to a Government what he regarded as being the right of an editor of any paper, to comment on matters as he saw them and not in deference to the Government of the day. The Minister for the Gaeltacht here some weeks ago, in answer to that charge which was made by Deputy O'Malley and myself, attempted to dismiss it by saying it was ráiméis. I note he did not say it was contrary to the truth, and if the Minister can convince me that the charge I make is contrary to the truth, I will accept it.

There is nothing as vital to the life of the Gaeltacht than that the people should have appropriate media. There should be communication in the Gaeltacht in the same fashion as it is available in the rest of the country. If the Gaeltacht is to survive and if people are to believe that one can lead a normal life using the Irish language, we must make it manifest. It can be done by listening to a radio which broadcasts programmes in the Irish language; Fianna Fáil set up Radio na Gaeltachta so that the people of the Gaeltacht would have this facility. It can be done by reading newspapers in the Irish language. In short, one should be able to use the Irish language as a means of communication for every purpose; otherwise it is futile for us to be striving towards the day when it will be restored.

The Minister tells us, and we accept, that he is interested in the social and economic life of the Gaeltacht. Here we have an industry giving employment not to Germans, Frenchmen or Americans but to Irishmen in the Gaeltacht, at the same time fulfilling a vital need. The Minister indicates that because it is not a viable proposition, because it was losing money, he cannot continue to subsidise it. What about the £40,000 that was given to a company in another part of the Gaeltacht, a company which in the course of a 12 months' period employed only 12 people and has since disappeared? What about the many hundreds of thousands of pounds we have given to other industries that survived only for a short while? Surely the Minister cannot expect that a newspaper in its infancy, struggling to establish itself, should be a viable economic proposition.

That yardstick is not applied to Radio na Gaeltachta. Radio na Gaeltachta is fully subsidised. The people in the Gaeltacht are not asked to pay any special fee or to contribute to the salaries of the people who are employed in Radio na Gaeltachta. Why should we be so concerned about Amárach? As was stated by the Minister directly and indirectly to the deputations which came to visit him looking for this subsidy which would keep them viable, this was an organ which was being critical of the Government in office, and how could they expect that that would strengthen his hand to get them the money.

Thank Heaven for one thing, that the management board of Amárach thought more of their honour and their principles than they did of money. However sad the disappearance of that paper is for the people of the Gaeltacht, I personally am happy that they went out with colours flying, upholding the freedom of the Press to say what they think is the correct thing to say irrespective of whether some people associated with it visit the Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael Ard Fheis to criticise a Minister, or whether it carries news items which are not complimentary to a Minister. I would hope that if the Minister deserves compliments he will get them, that if he deserves criticism he will get it.

The Minister has in his company other Ministers who may not be greatly concerned whether the Gaeltacht or a paper in it survives. I regret very much that time does not allow me to develop this matter in the way I had hoped, because Deputy Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, who is closer to the scene than I am, has asked that she be given an opportunity of contributing for some few minutes on this matter.

I do not intend to ask the Minister to restore the subsidy to Amárach unless he makes it quite clear to them that in so doing he will also restore their freedom. If he is not prepared to do that then I say, and I am sure I say it on behalf of Amárach, let him keep his money.

Is oth liom gur gá dom ceist mar seo a chur ar Aire na Gaeltachta, nuair a fhiafraím de: "An bhfuil tú i ndáiríre faoi shlánú na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge, nó an amhlaidh a theastaíonn uait iad a mharú?" Cosúil le mo chara anseo, an Teachta Séamus Tunney, is oth liomsa gur gá dom iompó ar an mBéarla chun an cheist seo a phlé, ach sílim go bhfuilimidne sách fada ar an dtaobh seo den Teach ag éisteacht le hAire na Gaeltachta ag tabhairt freagraí míshoiléir ar cheisteanna a bhí againne faoi chásanna triobhlóideachta agus faoi chásanna tábhachtacha i leith na Gaeltachta.

A headline in today's Irish Press, “No Tomorrow Amárach”, spells disaster not only for the Irish language newspaper Amárach but for Irish and Gaeltacht people and people who are interested in the Irish language generally throughout the country. We know on this side of the House, regardless of what the Minister for the Gaelteacht has been saying in the past four years, that the aim of the National Coalition Government has been to discourage all efforts to revitalise our language and our national heritage, and this final message that has come from the Minister, from his Department and from the Government, is the final straw for a newspaper which has been in circulation since 1942. To make a case for its revival and for a subsidy from Roinn na Gaeltachta towards revitalising the newspaper, we must state what has happened since the newspaper was taken over two years ago by Comharchumann Chois Fhairrge.

The time allotted to the Deputy is now exhausted. I must call the Minister.

Is mór an trua nach bhfuil níos mó ama agam chun freagra a thabhairt don Teachta Tunney. an 31 Márta, 1977 thug mé freagra iomlán agus mhínigh mé an scéal faoi Amárach go soiléir. Tá sé sa Tuairisc Oifigiúil. The position is that the grant to Amárach has been doubled since this Government took office—from £100 to £200.

The £ has been halved.

In July, 1976 there was a massive increase of 66? per cent given in the grant to Amárach which I made retrospective to 1st January of last year, and I told them at a meeting at that time that if they made an effort to increase the sales of Amárach and to get the support of the people of the Gaeltacht I would favourably consider a further increase.

They have done that.

They wrote to 70 organisations, co-operatives and development associations throughout the Gaeltacht asking for support for Amárach, or advice, and in their own words that effort was a complete failure. Only three replies were received by the board of directors of Amárach. A report I got from them at the end of last year indicated that their net income from sales from each issue was only £29. It is clear to me that the board of directors failed completely to get the support of the people of the Gaeltacht for the newspaper or to promote sales.

They came to me in dire trouble last February and even though they had failed to promote sales or support and that they were not worthy of an additional grant, I was anxious to save the newspaper and to help them. We agreed at that meeting that Bord na Gaeilge would be called in to help to examine the matter and to make recommendations. Bord na Gaeilge subsequently undertook this. They appointed consultants. There has been a delay, part of which was caused by Comharchumann Chois Fhairrge themselves because when Bord na Gaeilge sent consultants down to meet them by prior arrangement, the people they were supposed to meet were not there and a whole fortnight was lost. The report is now being prepared and as soon as I receive it I will consider it, as I intended to do at all times. I will not yield to the gross misrepresentation perpetrated by certain spokesmen in Comharchumann Chois Fharraige who failed to sell the newspaper or to make any effort to get support for it. Neither will I be pressured by the puny efforts of Fianna Fáil who are shedding crocodile tears——

Did the Minister tell them not to criticise the Government?

When I get the report from Bord na Gaeilge I will consider it——

Answer the charge. Freedom of the Press. The Minister told them not to criticise him or the Government. Is that true of false?

I have done far more for Amárach than Fianna Fáil did. The Deputy must take his medicine.

Hear, hear.

The Dáil adjourned at 9 p.m. until 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, 19th May, 1977.

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