24th April, 2002
Dr. Henry: Níl mé ábalta caint as Gaeilge anois ach fadó, fadó bhí fáinne agam. Like everybody else, I learnt Irish a long time ago. I sympathise with Senator Manning's comment that it was taught repressively when we were at school. I always remember asking my Irish teacher in Alexandra College, Miss Golden, if there were not any funny stories in Irish because they all seemed to be sad. Eventually she found one about a man who drowned in his poitín still, which is not an hysterically funny story when one thinks about it, but the funniest she could come up with. It is sad that for so long learning Irish was made such a misery for so many of us at school to the extent that many people, including Senators Manning, Mooney and myself, could not now hold a conversation in Irish, despite having attained quite a proficiency in it.
The inhabitants of the Gaeltacht are very nice and intelligent people. When one asks for a "buidéal beag of shampoo" they will give one it, which is very encouraging. It has been very good to listen to the excellent Irish speakers here today being so sympathetic to those of us who have lost fluency in the language. It is a big start because Irish had become extraordinarily exclusive with some people.
Senator Ó Murchú referred to people having lost the confidence to speak in Irish as opposed to not being able to speak it. There was a time when people, who were not as intelligent as the people from the Gaeltacht and did not speak Irish properly, were give as bad a reception as the Parisians gave people about speaking French. The Parisians were told to be more civil to foreigners because they were damaging the city's business. It would be a good idea if those who spoke Irish were more friendly to those who try to speak it.
We must take seriously what Senator Quinn said. Senator Quinn's supermarket was one of the first places I remember seeing signs for food in Irish. It is not that he is not enthusiastic about the language. He feels it is a good idea to promote it. It is useful to know what biscuits and pet food are as Gaeilge in case one is in the Gaeltacht and wishes to buy pet food or a few packets of biscuits.
Everyone praised TG4, which is correct. I notice the Bill requires the permission of the Minister for Finance. He always gets in on every act. It is like a dead weight around the neck of everything. Even with the Minister of State's great enthusiasm, I do not know how rapidly she will be able to make progress. As regards advertising for TG4, the newspapers and magazines which list the television programmes should be obliged to properly explain TG4 programmes, such as "Súil Eile", which Senator Mooney mentioned. If one does not know what "Súil Eile" is about, one might not watch it. One might watch "Inspector Morse" or something else, although "Súil Eile" might be more interesting.
TG4 has been generous in putting subtitles on everything. "Súil Eile" does not have subtitles and I have got lost in fights between Eithne Fitzgerald and Deputy Dukes. "Mná na hÉireann" always has subtitles. A friend from Cork, Dr. Siobhán Barry, was on it one night. When I met her afterwards I told her she was great on the programme, but I asked her why TG4 had not given her subtitles. I understood her Irish better than I would understand the language of those who come from Donegal. Something must be getting through if one does not notice it some of the time. I am sure the Minister of State saw those excellent programmes on which people spoke frankly. I enjoy them.
It is unfair the way TG4 programmes are listed at the end of newspaper and magazine pages and that only the times and the barest information about the programmes are given. They should be obliged to give more information. It has become more popular to state what will be in programmes. It is extremely funny to watch Spanish football with an Irish commentary. That is one of the best things I have seen. However, it is usually too fast for me to keep up with it.
Dr. Henry: TG4 needs to be given as much space as it can because it has done an excellent job. It has put much thought into what it does.
Perhaps I could help Senator Mooney to get his son into the Gaeltacht. My sons went to the Gaeltacht and there is more to it than Gaeilge. The boys could not be stopped from going to it. I am not sure what was going on there, but they were extremely enthusiastic about going back to Corca Dhuibhne. I do not know if any of them emerged from school with some Irish language, but they enjoyed other things.
The Minister of State should take note of what Senator Quinn said because it will be expensive. I thought Senator Manning was daring when he suggested that all Bills should be in English and Irish. I could see us being here for the rest of our lives going through them phrase by phrase to ensure the phrase in Irish is comparable to that in English. We must remember the Irish phraseology will always be taken as the first and superior language.
I wish the Minister of State luck with the Bill. I am sorry it has come into the House late in the day because it would have been enjoyable to have gone through it with the Minister of State. We might have picked up a bit of information. The Minister of State was rightly described as a great ambassador for the language. We could not have anyone better than her to promote it.
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