Background to the Research

• This study is an initial attempt to examine some questions concerning the level of demand within NI for services and activities in the Irish Language.
• There is now government commitment to facilitate and encourage the use of Irish arising out of the Good Friday Agreement, and also to specify Irish in relation to part three of the Council of Europe Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
  

Research Approach

• The research used a range of methods involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches, and on six broad fronts, as shown below.
• An analysis of census and other data, and relevant official papers.
• A survey of other existing research -
  • The Continuous Household Survey
  • Diversification of the First Foreign Language
  • Irish Medium Schools
  • Outcomes for Pupils who received an Irish-Medium Education.
• Face-to-face interviews with officials and representatives.
• A number of focus groups.
• A small study using focus groups of an Irish Language Course sponsored by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
• A Short Quantitative Survey.
  

Main Findings

Quantitative Data

• There has been a considerable revival in the enthusiasm for and commitment to the Irish language in the second half of the 20th century, influenced at least in part by the long conflict.
• The largest groups of those speaking Irish are to be found in the age ranges 15 to 24 and 25 to 44. Over the age of 44, the numbers are considerably smaller.
• More of those claiming to be competent in Irish are Catholic, with a figure of 21 to 22 per cent, as compared to under one per cent for each of the three main Protestant denominations.
• A number of Irish medium schools have been established since 1971, that is, schools where all teaching is through the medium of Irish. Figures for 1978-79 of 1,375 pupils and 13 schools and for 1999-00 figures of 1,840 pupils and 23 schools, suggest that the population of Irish medium schools is likely to continue growing.

Qualitative Data

• Argument One: the strong case for Irish -
  • Those who speak Irish or promote Irish, have a fundamental right to government support and resources. This right is based on three grounds: first, it is a matter of fundamental principal that people should be allowed to speak their own language: second, support for Irish must be a central part of policy of a state that purports to encourage pluralism; third, Irish speakers are citizens and taxpayers and this carries with it certain responsibilities for the state.
  • Many who support some or all of these saw no need for compromise or restriction and would not in general accept arguments about priorities or limitations.
• Argument Two: the qualified case for Irish -
  • There is a unanswerable case for strong support for Irish, and this should be argued for with vigour and enthusiasm, so long as due attention is paid to such matters as resources, priorities, timetables, and the proportions of the population involved.
• Argument Three: the qualified general case for minority languages -
  • There are a number of recognisable groups who speak a language other than English. It is the duty of the state to take these groups into account in its policies and programmes, and so there should be a carefully worked out, and public, plan of action for all of these, that takes account of resources, priorities, needs and the number of people involved in each of these groups.
• Argument Four: the case opposing Irish -
  • No legal obstacle should be placed in the way of those who wish to speak any minority language, but there is no need to use public money in their support especially since all concerned speak English. This view is based on three arguments: first is the claim that Irish is a dead language, and that people who support it also support violence; second the real numbers of those who speak Irish is very small; third the needs of education, health, transport and so on are much more urgent and important.
• With regard to the demand for Irish experienced by officials, there was no clear or structured information available, and interviews produced a full range of views, from 'there is no demonstrable demand for things in Irish' to 'the potential demand is likely to be larger than we realise and it will increase'. There is some acceptance of the need for staff who can speak Irish.
• There were two opposing views about the strategy to be employed in promoting the language. The first was that it was counter productive to insist on doing everything through Irish since it excluded and even antagonised those who could not understand it, and they ought to become involved in the debate about establishing priorities. The second view was that it was necessary to insist on giving Irish full recognition in all contexts so that it could not ever be perceived as a special case or an exception.