Protest against anti-Irish racism

by gameball Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:33

That's not racist. It may be rude and stupid, but it's time to grow up and accept that even here in Dublin, the heart of the republic, everybody speaks English. And the language we learn in school (An Caighdeán Oifigiúil) was developed in the 1950s and is not the way our forefathers spoke.

by Tub Thumper. Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:40

Will ye be taking on FF and Mary Hanafin at all, they have done more to erode Irish language learning
in the Republic than silly Stormont battles and political posturing can do in the north. I do wonder
why the people who are awaiting the bogeys in northern Ireland do not recognise the erosion of
cultural values in the South. Is it cos blessed Bertie can do no wrong- except destroy Tara,
rub up to Bush and run down our health services- does that not effect a generation of Irish Kids?

by Ciarán Ó Brolcháin Mon Oct 08, 2007 15:52

ACHT was set up as an organisation to push for the introduction of an Irish Language Act for the six counties in the wake of the St Andrew's Agreement last year.

This is no mere posturing. For over a month unionists have been attacking the Irish language at any and every given opportunity. The DUP and UUP have apparently been competing over who is the most virulently anti-Irish. Mac Giolla Bhéin is correct, such treatment meted out to any other linguistic or ethnic group would not be tolerated.

by Not Ciaran Tue Oct 09, 2007 09:54

Equating attacks denigrating or mocking the Irish language as being "anti-Irish racism", ie attacks on all Irish people as a result of their 'race' is stretching things somewhat.

I've heard a great many of Ireland's non-Unionist inhabitants say much the same sort of thing. So perhaps it is based on opposition to the Irish language, something we can understand ACHT wanting to actively counter. But don't be making dicks of yerselves by calling it racism. Y'know, hasn't anyone ever told yez that unionists are Irish too....

Shuffle Ma Yoghurt

by Fior Brit Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:01

Ciaran (Kieran?),

Using the deliberately insulting term "the six counties" to describe Northern Ireland rather betrays your real attitude to embracing all the communities on this small island. People like you are hardly likely to persuade Unionists that An Gaeilge is anything more than another trojan horse of agression and little to do with culture or diversity.

Sad really.

by Turps Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:46

We really must distinguish between lingo, race and nationality. Lingo is our system of verbal and literary communication. Countries like Canada and Belgium can be bi-=lingual. There can be linguistic tensions and flashpoints between lingo groups, as in Belgium at present and in the past between the Flemings and Walloons. Things can be stirred up maliciously by crypto-racist militants, as currently and in the past among the historically aggrieved Flemings. That doesn't make the F and W people separate races, although in their case Belgium might break up eventually into two statelets, with Wallonia gravitating culturally towards la belle France and flemish-speaking people becoming real pally with the Dutch, who have no claims on the Flemings.

Race and ethnicity are linked but not inextricably. You can be an afro-american but not feel any affinity with African states like Ghana and Ethiopia. You can be a Singaporean chinese-speaking citizen with a cultural interest in the Middle Kingdom (and an economic interest if you're in business) but you want good ole Sing to have its sovereignty.

Being against the status of Irish is not anti-national, but it is culturally deracinating ('pulling up the roots, or verging on rootlessness' - a psychological wrong turn in the long run) and therefore not progressive. What should be the status of Irish in the schooling system? What practical things can be done to make the lingo seem more attractive to youngsters and older folks? Should the government experiment by facilitating the establishment of suburban and rural Gaeltacht kibbutzim? Rather than throwing more bricks at the much abused Irish lingo I feel it would be more positive to address the above and other questions. Continual self-contempt for our gaelic, peasant and religious origins is deeply self-wounding.

by Jay Tue Oct 09, 2007 19:37

"Continual self-contempt for our gaelic, peasant and religious origins is deeply self-wounding."

WTF?

This is simply a mythological, constructed, narrow, nationalistic and exclusive view of 'our' origins. From my prespective, as a working class atheist who certainly does not define himself as a 'gael', its extremely damaging to any progressive struggles on this Island, north or south, whatever 'lingo' you seek to promote.

You do know that there is absolutely no scientific basis to your arguments about race?

by neither Tue Oct 09, 2007 19:49

What utter shite!
This is the kind of propaganda De Valera spread like manure through our history and its nothing less
than white supremacism disguised as nationalist pride. The intermarriage question and Irish origins
Look at arabic art and culture (Galway), Look at The Gaul (Tara) Breton (Cork), Jewish, viking,
norman and all the other cultures that have created modern Ireland and is present in the gene pool
of the 'peasant populace', and whilst some people would like to revert to neanderthal methods
of courtship and procreation they are in the minority (and possibly inbred).

by gameball Tue Oct 09, 2007 21:23

I'm not kidding folks, the flip side of Acht & co. is Ullans, which is even worse. I don't want my kids having to learn this stuff as well as a perverted form of Irish. All in the interests of propping up some northerner's self-esteem with a pointless PC inclusiveness agenda that will cost us millions.

The whole language thing in the north is nothing to do with language and everything to do with "I'm different. We were right you know. The people around my wee pedestal are all victims you know."

All together now, Aw Ae Ooo, clap your hands. Sorry, honds.

http://www.scots-online.org/airticles/awaeoo.pdf

by radical jonny Thu Oct 11, 2007 15:00

I'm involved in community development work in North and West Belfast. I've seen Romanian, Chinese, and other migrants burned out of their homes by paramilitaries.

That's the racism that I think we should tackle first, before we get into the issue of one of the majority communities worried about the condition of millions in funding for one of its pet projects.

Don't get me wrong: I'm an Irish language enthusiast myself. The preservation of Irish is important. But catch yourself on, it's not the most important thing on NI's agenda. There is no one going hungry, not receiving benefits, or being denied justice before the court or religious liberty because they speak Irish.

Perspective, please...

by Duine Wed Dec 05, 2007 17:52

Is nach dtugann na daoine, a chuireann sinn ar an eolas i dtaobh na hagóide seo, in iúl dúinn caide a tharla!