Council start Irish language bursary

Council start Irish language bursary

21 February 2018

NEWRY, Mourne and Down Council will launch its new Irish language bursary scheme next month.

It is designed to assist people improve their Irish language skills by providing financial support to allow them to study dedicated courses, with applicants able to apply for up to 50% of their total cost fees. 

The maximum amount of money that will be paid to individuals is £300, with £30,000 set aside in the council budget for the bursary scheme in the new financial year.

The formal implementation of the bursary was agreed at last week’s meeting of the local authority’s influential Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, despite opposition from unionist politicians who favour a scheme to include all minority languages.

Sinn Fein councillor Barra Ó Muiri said the bursary was open to anyone interested in learning Irish and revealed the local authority’s Irish Language Working Group has discussed in the past about trying to extend the language into unionist communities.

“We have spoken about getting the language spread out to other communities and trying to get interest garnered in those which are not using it. This is something we are working on,” he said.

Cllr ‘O Murírí said the bursary — due to be launched on March 12 — will be reviewed in six months’ time, describing it as a “cracking scheme” which has the potential to raise the profile of the language and interest in it, alongside supporting families that would otherwise struggle to send their children to courses.

Cllr Gareth Sharvin (SDLP) welcomed the scheme and sought clarification about who exactly is eligible, while his party colleague, Michael Savage, said it will provide an opportunity for the young people he represents to “explore and learn the language.”

DUP councillor Billy Walker said his party would have been happy to support a bursary scheme for minority languages, claiming that while the local authority was “pumping money towards the Irish language,” it wasn’t spending a single penny on the district’s unionist culture.

Insisting he was not anti-Irish, Cllr Walker said he was fully behind the new Rowallane and Slieve Croob twinning group which aims to twin with Celtic nations and plans to bring Irish speakers to events he will be attending.

“Money has already been set aside through financial assistance schemes for the Irish language and now we are throwing more money at it. The community I represent has got nothing from this council and no one can tell me otherwise,” the DUP man added.

Councillor Robert Burgess (UUP) highlighted the role played by Presbyterians in keeping the Irish language alive.

He insisted that he had no issue with those who spoke Irish, but he was opposed to earmarking money to enable people to learn the language.

He added: “In Saintfield, we cannot get money to keep the town’s only public toilet open, but we can find the money for an Irish language bursary scheme. I am not supportive of this whatsoever.”

Independent councillor Cadogan Enright said the bursary scheme was “entirely in accordance” with EU law and the requirements on local councils to promote indigenous national languages.

He said the council supported him a few years ago to complete a degree in Irish and Irish Literature, explaining that without this assistance, it would have been impossible for him to complete his course.

He added: “I think this is very much the case for people who are struggling with money to try and finance their children or young people to access the language.

“This bursary scheme is a very good first step in trying to fulfil our obligations under the minority languages legislation.”