Scoil Samhraidh - Ceatharlach, Iúil 2012
Tuairisc ar an ócáid:
The Fondúireacht na Gaeilge Summer School was held in Carlow’s Seven Oaks Hotel on 13th and 14th July, 2012 with the theme Shaping the future – the development of the country and the language. Breandán Mac Cormaic of Fondúireacht na Gaeilge said there was a connection between the development of the country, cultural development and the development of the language.
The Summer School was officially opened by Seán Ó Cuirreáin, Coimisinéir Teanga. He said Irish was a living language that could be used to discuss very complicated issues. “The last census showed an increase of 7% in the number of people who said they could speak Irish. There’s also 7% more people speaking Irish on a daily basis. We need to build on those positive things. We need to look with a brighter attitude towards the future in relation to the Irish language,” he said.
Dr. Conchúr Ó Giollagáin from UCG spoke about challenges faced by minority language communities throughout the world – especially Ireland. He spoke of the challenges in the Gaeltachtaí and towns with Gaelscoileanna. “How can we organise ourselves to strengthen the social base of the language?” he asked. He asked the Summer School to look at the issue of language acquisition. “If young people acquire Irish to a higher level, the social use of Irish in the community will be enhanced,” said Dr. Ó Giollagáin.
Irish Times Economics Editor, Dan O’Brien, gave an overview of a period of historical change in Europe. “On balance things are bad and could get worse,” he indicated. “There are big risks for Europe and Ireland because of the most serious crisis that Europe has faced. But there are also positive things. Europeans are overwhelmingly in favour of democracy and non-extremist parties. That’s different from the 1930’s. “There are major problems such as the sustainability of the Euro. If it’s not saved we’re facing a 1930’s type of depression,” he warned.
Des Geraghty, member of the Irish Central Bank Commission, speaking personally, said it was important to find a European solution to the control of markets. “New structures in the Euro zone are very important” he advised and he hoped to see social objectives as well as regulation of bailouts. He noted the start of the separation of sovereign debt from bank debt. “There has to be a European solution,” he told listeners. “We must recognise that the whole market system has to be brought under better control We must get back to the social Europe, back to the core values that established Europe. Without that there won’t be a future,” he concluded.
Arthur Beesley, Irish Times European Correspondent, said the situation in the Eurozone at the moment is one where we’re dealing with a very high degree of uncertainty all of the time. “We see acute uncertainty at very sensitive moments at a very broad European level. That is very difficult to deal with because there is a political system in Europe which is based on and addicted to process and the reality is that there is no process for this current crisis,” he said.
Seán Mac Diarmada
13 Iúil 2012