(English below)

D’fhógair urlabhraí Gaeilge, Gaeltachta, Ealaíon agus Cultúir Shinn Féin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, maoiniú breise de luach €34 milliún inniu de bearta chun tacú leis an nGaeilge agus an nGaeltacht mar chuid de Bhuiséad Malartach Shinn Féin 2024.

Leag an Teachta Ó Snodaigh amach an briseadh síos:

“Bheadh €5.2 milliún breise d’Údarás na Gaeltachta, lena n-áirítear maoiniú nua reatha de luach €1.7 milliún chun tacú le comharchumainn, forbairt phobail agus hallaí pobail Gaeltachta, agus le scéimeanna nua athlonnuithe chun daoine le Gaeilge a mhealladh chun cónaí sa Ghaeltacht agus €3.5 milliún caipitil chun an bonneagar a fhorbairt atá ag teastáil le hinfheistíocht a mhealladh go ceantair Gaeltachta, ag díriú ar forbairt na Gaeltachta mar mhol don fhuinneamh inathnuaite siar ón gcósta. Cabhróidh sé seo leis an gciorrú €1 milliún a rinne Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael agus na Glasaigh ar mhaoiniú caipitil an Údaráis i mbuiséad na bliana seo chaite a chur ina cheart.

“D’athbhunódh Aire Gaeltachta Shinn Féin Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge ar ráta €500 in aghaidh an pháiste (aois a 3 go 18) in aghaidh na bliana do páistí á dtógáil trí Ghaeilge sa Ghaeltacht.

“Anuas ar sin, molann Sinn Féin pacáiste tarrthála de os cionn €2.9 milliún do thionscal na gColáistí Samhraidh Gaeltachta atá i gcruachás, tríd an deontas caipitíochta €52 in aghaidh an dalta dos na coláistí féin a thabhairt ar ais, Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoir Gaeilge a ardú do mhná tí ó €12 go €14 in aghaidh an dalta, agus €530,000 a leithdháileadh ar scoláireachtaí chun tacú le scoileanna DEIS, daltaí faoi mhíbhuntaiste agus daltaí as na 6 contae freastal ar Choláistí Samhraidh.

“Chuirfeadh muid €2.1 milliún breise ar fáil d’iarrachtaí pleanála teanga, lena n-áirítear €50,000 breise do gach cheann den 26 Limistéar Pleanála Teanga Gaeltachta, €25,000 breise do gach Baile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta agus Líonra Gaeilge, agus €12,500 tríd an Fhoras do gach údarás áitiúil thuaidh agus theas chun pleananna teanga dá gceantair a fhorbairt. Bheadh €100,000 breise ar leataobh againn chun aonad taighde sochtheangeolaíoch a bhunú de réir ár bPolasaí Pleanála agus Tithíochta Gaeltachta chun na treoracha a scrúdú agus polasaí taighdebhunaithe a chinntiú chun tacú leis an nGaeilge agus an nGaeltacht.

“I gcás eagrais uile-Éireann ar nós Foras na Gaeilge, an bealach is fearr le maoiniú inmharthanach thuaidh-theas a chinntiú ná Feidhmeannas Chnoc Anfa a athbhunú. Seachas ligint do bhaighcat an DUP ar an bhFeidhmeannas bac a chur le hiarrachtaí an Ghaeilge a fhás i bpobail fud fad na tíre, áfach, chuirfeadh rialtas Shinn Féin i mBaile Átha Cliath €2.8 milliún breise le bhunlíne maoinithe Fhoras na Gaeilge le híocaíocht aon-uaire sula thagann cead do mhaoiniú meaitseála ón Fheidhmeannas. Sa chaoi sin, bheadh ardú suntasach ar mhaoiniú do Scéim Forbartha na Líonraí Gaeilge agus don sé ceanneagraíocht (Conradh na Gaeilge, Cumann na bhFiann, Gael Linn, Gaeloideachas, Glór na nGael, and Oireachtas na Gaeilge). 

“Chuirfeadh muid Clár Caipitil Gaeilge ar bhun, bunaithe ar an mhúnla ata in úsáid cheana féin don spóirt, chun infheistiú a dhéanamh i mbonneagar agus spásanna ilfheidhme le bheith mar lárionaid lasmuigh den chóras oideachais ina bhféadfadh pobail Gaeilge a fhorbairt ar fud na tíre, ag tosú le €5 milliún sa bhliain 2024. Ní bhainfeadh sé seo lenár moltaí i gcomhar Clár Caipitil Ealaíon €5 milliún nó ardú €9 milliún i gCiste Infheistíochta na nIonaid Pobail atá sa Bhuiséad Malartach freisin.

“Ag Ardfheis na bliana seo caite, glacadh le Rún 20 a gheall go sholáthródh rialtas Shinn Féin ranganna Gaeilge do dhaoine fásta, tosaitheoirí agus idirmheánach i gcoitinne, saor in aisce. Chloífeadh muid leis sin trí múinteoir Gaeilge lán-aimseartha ar leith a fhostú i ngach Bord Oideachais agus Oiliúna le tosú i mbliain scoile 2024-2025.

“Tá Sinn Féin tiomanta tacú leis na healaíona agus le ról lárnach don Ghaeilge sa maoiniú ealaíon go léir, agus inniu d’fhógair muid beartais eile €36 milliún do na healaíona agus don chultúir iontu féin. Mar chuid dár mbeartais Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta, tá sé geallta againn €1 milliún breise a chaitheamh ar éarnáil na leabhar Gaeilge chomh maith leis €1.7 milliún a theastaíonn chun plean stráitéiseach na Taibhdheirce (Amharclann Náisiúnta na Gaeilge) a sheachadadh.

“I gcás TG4, atá tar éis péire cainéil nua a sheoladh i 2023 – Cúla4 do pháistí agus TG4+1 – táimid ag moladh €10 milliún breise anuas ar mhaoiniú reatha TG4, ionas gur féidir leo a bplean straitéiseach a chur i bhfeidhm. Táimid freisin ag moladh maoiniú nua €500,000 a chaitheamh ar an stáisiún raidió Gaeilge náisiúnta don óige atá geallta le fada a bhunú, bunaithe ar an éacht bainte amach ag Raidió Rí-Rá.

“Tá Sinn Féin tiomanta gníomhú de réir ár mbriathra don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht. Is léiriú eile é an Buiséad Malartach costáilte seo ar conas a dhéanfadh muid rudaí ar bhealach difriúil.”

€34 million for Gaeilge and the Gaeltacht: Sinn Féin’s Alternative Budget 2024 –  Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, today announced €34 million in additional funding specifically for measures to support the Irish language and the Gaeltacht as part of Sinn Féin’s Alternative Budget 2024.

Teachta Ó Snodaigh set out how this would be spent:

“An extra €5.2 million for Údarás na Gaeltachta, including €1.7 million new current funding to support Gaeltacht cooperatives, community development and community halls, and new Gaeltacht resettlement schemes to attract Irish speakers to live in the Gaeltacht and €3.5 million capital to develop infrastructure necessary to attract investment to Gaeltacht areas, with a focus on developing the Gaeltacht as a hub for offshore renewables. This should help address the €1 million cut by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens to Údarás capital funding in last year’s budget.

“A Sinn Féin Minister for the Gaeltacht would restore the Irish Speakers Scheme at €500 per year per child, aged 3 to 18, raised through Irish in the Gaeltacht. 

“Sinn Féin also proposes a rescue package of over €2.9 million for the Gaeltacht Summer College industry which is in crisis, by restoring the €52 per student capitation grant for the colleges themselves, increasing the Irish Learners Scheme for Mná Tí from €12 to €14 per student, an allocation of €530,000 in scholarship funding to support DEIS schools, disadvantaged students and students from the 6 counties to attend Coláistí Samhraidh.

“We would provide an additional €2.1 million to support language planning efforts, including €50,000 extra for each of the 26 Gaeltacht language planning areas, €25,000 extra for each Gaeltacht Service Town and Irish Language Network, and €12,500 through Foras na Gaeilge for each local authority north and south to develop authority-wide language plans. We would also set aside an additional €100,000 to establish a dedicated sociolinguistic research unit as set out in our Gaeltacht Housing & Planning Policy to examine the trends and facilitate evidence-based policy making to safeguard the Irish language in the Gaeltacht.

“In terms of all-Ireland bodies like Foras na Gaeilge, a restored Executive at Stormont is the best way to ensure sustainable north-south funding. Rather than allow the DUP boycott of the Executive to hamper efforts to support the growth of the Irish language in communities nationwide, however, a Sinn Féin Government in Dublin would provide an additional €2.8 million to Foras na Gaeilge’s baseline funding as a once-off payment in advance of matching funding approval from the Executive, to allow for a substantial increase in funding for Irish Language Network Development Schemes and each of the six lead organisations (Conradh na Gaeilge, Cumann na bhFiann, Gael Linn, Gaeloideachas, Glór na nGael, and Oireachtas na Gaeilge). 

“We would also establish an Irish Language Capital Programme, based on the model already used for sport, to invest in specific infrastructure and multipurpose spaces as hubs nationwide for Irish language communities to develop outside the education system, starting with €5 million in 2024. This would be separate from the €5 million Arts Capital Programme and the €9 million increase to the Community Centre Investment Fund also proposed in our Alternative Budget.

“At our Ardfheis last year, Motion 20 was passed which committed a Sinn Féin Government to providing access to adult Irish language classes for both beginner and intermediate, free at the point of entry. We would achieve this by hiring a dedicated full time Irish teacher for each Education and Training Board to start with the 2024-2025 school year.

“Sinn Féin is passionate about supporting the arts and the Irish language playing a central role in all arts funding, and today have announced a separate set of measures amounting to €36 million specifically for arts and culture. As part of our Gaeilge and Gaeltacht measures, we are committing to provide an additional €1 million to the Irish language books sector as well as the €1.7 million required to deliver on the strategic plan of An Taibhdhearc, our National Irish Language Theatre.

“In terms of TG4, which launched two new channels in 2023 – Cúla 4 for kids, and TG4+1 – we are pledging an additional €10 million on top of existing TG4 funding, to enable delivery of their strategic plan. We are also proposing €500,000 in new funding to establish the long-awaited national Irish radio station for young people, based on the success of Raidió Rí-Rá.

“Sinn Féin is committed to delivering on our promises for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. This fully-costed Alternative Budget is yet another indication of how we would do things differently.”