Pa Daly, Aengus agus Buiséad Gaeltacht
Buiséid Malartacha i dtreo athbheochan na teanga agus athnuachan na n-ealaíona seolta ag Shinn Féin – Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD
Alternative Budgets for reviving our Language and renewing our Arts launched by Sinn Féin – Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD
(English below)
D’fhógair Urlabhraí Gaeilge, Gaeltachta, Ealaíon agus Cultúir de chuid Shinn Féin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, maidin Dé Luan go bhfuil an Buiséad is cuimsithí ariamh don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht curtha le chéile ag páirtí polaitiúil seolta aige, agus €59 milliúin de beartais fógartha freisin i dtacú le hathnuachan ealaíne agus cultúir sa stát.
Dúirt an Teachta Ó Snodaigh:
“D’éist muid go géar le héilimh ó éarnáil na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus na n-Ealaíona le cúpla mí anuas, agus tar éis a lán obair a chur isteach chun a chinntiú gur féidir íoc as gach ghníomh molta againn agus go bhfuil costais oibrithe amach i gceart, táim bródúil as an dá doiciméid atá curtha le chéile againn sa deireadh.
“Sa Bhuiséad Malartach i dtreo Athbheochan na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta, tá sé molta againn €13 milliúin sa bhreis a chur ar fáil d’Údarás na Gaeltachta chun tacú le comharchumainn agus oibreacha poiblí atá ag teastáil go géar sa Ghaeltacht, agus €4.5 milliúin ón 26 contae do Foras na Gaeilge le béim ar na scéimeanna pobal Gaeilge.
“Tá sé i gceist againn tabhairt faoi na ciorruithe nimhneacha a bhí déanta ar an éarnáil le linn don chúlú eacnamaíochta a chur ina gceart, rud ar chóir a bheith déanta i bhfad roimhe seo, go háirithe Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge a thabhairt ar ais do theaghlaigh Gaeltachta, agus comhlachtaí stáit tábhachtacha ar nós Gaeleagras agus an Coimisiún Logainmneacha a athbhunú.
“Aithníonn muid tábhacht éarnáil na gColáistí Samhraidh, a shaothraíonn idir €50 agus €60 milliúin gach samhraidh don Ghaeltacht, ach atá fágtha in áit na leathphingine agus iad fós ag fanacht ar chiste cobhsaíochta ón Aire Gaeltachta don samhraidh atá thart. Tá moltaí againn freisin i dtaobh na meáin Gaeilge agus muid ag iarraidh tacú le plean straitéiseach TG4 le €10m breise thar dhá bhliain, Raidió Rí-Rá a bhuanú mar stáisiún náisiúnta óige, agus ciste nua a bhunú chun iriseoireacht agus nuacht trí Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn.
“I gcás na n-ealaíona, tá Buiséad Malartach ar leith ann i dtreo Athnuachan na n-Ealaíona ina bhfuil €59 milliúin sa bhreis á lorg againn don ealaíon agus don chultúr, lena n-áirítear €4.25m anuas ar an maoiniú breise a fuair an Chomhairle Ealaíon do 2021, agus breis airgead freisin do Chultúr Éireann, Fís Éireann, agus an Chomhairle Oidhreachta. Agus ár n-oidhreacht thógtha faoi bhagairt, go háirithe sa phríomhchathair, tá €10m caipitil geallta againn chun suíomh chogaidh 1916 ar Shráid Uí Mhúraigh a shábháil ar mhaitheas le Ceathrú Cultúir a bhunú.
“Táimid ag lorg go gcuirfidh an Chomhairle Ealaíon ciste cruatan ar fáil d’ealaíontóirí atá ag streachailt go háirithe toisc nach bhfuil tásc ná tuairisc go fóill ar an mbun-ioncam phíolóta a bhí geallta dóibh, agus táimid freisin ag iarraidh airgead ar leith le haghaidh ealaíontóirí faoi mhíchumais.
“Síleann muid go gcuirfeadh an Dearbhán Cóivid-19 de luach €200 an duine, agus €100 an pháiste, go mór le daoine a spreagadh chun filleadh ar an gcultúr tar éis don phaindéim, agus gur gá infheistiú sa chultúr ar scoil tríd an gclár Scoileanna Cruthaitheacha a leathnú amach go gach scoil sa tír thar cúpla bliana, agus an deontais do leabhar i leabharlainn scoile a thabhairt ar ais. Tá airgead molta againn freisin do na hInstitiúidí Cultúrtha Náisiúnta, go háirithe chun cuimhneachán a dhéanamh ar an gCogadh Cathartha agus ar an nGorta Mór, chomh maith le chiste ar leith chun tacú le cultúr an Lucht Siúil a chur chun cinn agus a cheiliúradh.
“Is léiriú é seo ar an uaillmhian a bheadh agam mar Aire Gaeilge, Gaeltachta, Ealaíon agus Cultúir, agus cé chomh dáiríre is atá Sinn Féin faoin teanga agus faoinár gcultúr, atá fite fuaite lena chéile sa dá doiciméid. Mholfainn don Aire Catherine Martin éisteacht a thabhairt ar an méid atá molta againn anseo agus tabhairt faoin obair atá de dhíth chun an teanga a athchóiriú agus athoscailt rathúil a chinntiú dár n-ealaíontóirí.”
Lynn Boylan, Eoin Ó Broin, Aengus agus Buiséad Cultúir
Johnny Mythen agus Aengus
English:
Sinn Féin spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, this morning launched the most comprehensive Budget proposals for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht ever compiled by a political party, with €59 million worth of measures also to be proposed to support the renewal of arts and culture in the state.
“We have listened carefully to the demands of the Irish language, Gaeltacht and Arts sectors over the past few months, and after putting a lot of work in to ensure we can pay for every action proposed here, and that everything has been thoroughly costed, I am proud of the two documents we have put together.
“In the Alternative Budget towards the Revival of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, we are proposing €13 million extra for Údarás na Gaeltachta to support cooperatives and much-needed public works, and €4.5 million from the 26 counties for Foras na Gaeilge, with an emphasis on community Irish language schemes.
“We also intend to finally put to rights the devastating cuts imposed on the sector during the austerity years, something that should have been done long before now, in particular by restoring the Irish Speakers Scheme for Gaeltacht families, and re-establishing important bodies such as Gaeleagras and the Placenames Commission.
“We give recognition to the importance of the Summer College sector, which brings in between €50 and €60 million every summer to the Gaeltacht economy, but has been left in the halfpenny place still waiting for their compensation package from the Gaeltacht Minister for the summer just gone. We also have proposals with regard to Irish-language media, as we aim to deliver the €10 million over 2 years that was sought in TG4’s strategic plan, establish Raidió Rí-Rá as a national youth station, and set up a new fund for promoting journalism and news through Irish.
“With regards the Arts, a specific Alternative Budget For the Renewal of our Arts has also been published, calling for €59 million extra for arts and culture, including €4.25m extra on top of the increase received by the Arts Council in 2021, as well as additional funding for Culture Ireland, Screen Ireland and the Heritage Council. At a time when our built heritage, particularly in Dublin, is under threat, we have set aside €10m in capital spending to save the 1916 Battle Site on Moore Street to be developed into a Culture Quarter.
“We want to see the Arts Council provide a hardship fund for struggling artists, especially as we remain none the wiser on the long-awaited basic income pilot for artists, and we also want to see money set aside for artists with disabilities.
“We believe the Covid-19 Voucher of €200 per adult and €100 per child could go a long way to motivating people to re-engage with culture after the pandemic, and that it is necessary to invest in culture in schools through extending the Creative Schools programme to all schools over a number of years and restore the grant for school library books. Money is also proposed for the National Cultural Institutions, particularly to organise commemorations for the Civil War and An Gorta Mór, as well as dedicated funding to promote and celebrate Traveller Culture and Identity.
“This is a demonstration of the ambition I would have as Minister for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, and of how serious Sinn Féin is about our language and culture, which are interlinked throughout these two documents. I invite Minister Catherine Martin to give a fair hearing to the proposals we are making and to start to work on restoring our language and ensuring our artists have a successful reopening.”
Buiséad Shinn Féin i dtreo Athnuachan na n-Ealaíon 2022 is available to view at this link