The Irish language is a part of our heritage that should be cherished and celebrated. I welcome the decision to make Irish an official language of the European Union.
                                                                               
If elected to the Seanad I will endeavour to speak and promote the Irish language in the House, and not just when the language itself, or issues relating to the Gaeltacht, are being discussed.

I support any initiative which increases the visibility of Irish in our everyday lives. Here are some practical ways of achieving this:

Road and Street Signage
Let’s start by making the the language we use visible. And when we use it let’s make it correct in form and format. No more embarrassing spelling and grammar mistakes on official signs.

Bilingual State Forms
If we wish to conduct our business with the State through Irish, we have to use a different application form, or request a particular official who speaks Irish. There’s a simple solution: use bilingual forms, which ensures that both Irish and English versions are available simultaneously.  Then perhaps we’ll be rid of the dreaded ‘An Irish language version of this application form is available by writing to….. “

Education
I strongly support the recent decision to revise the second-level Irish language syllabus with an increased emphasis on communication.

Business
Businesses in the private sector have embraced Irish and made it more visible to their customers. Signage and Irish speaking staff are practical, concrete examples of a practical language policy. The work of “Gaillimh le Gaeilge” is imaginative and inspirational and I commend the efforts of the various city and county councils in appointing Irish language officers to increase the visibility of Irish and promote its use in their communities.