Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of the founding of Raidió na Gaeltachta
Galway, 11th May 2012
A Chairde,
Is cúis mhór áthais dom a bheith i bhur dteannta tráthnóna inniu do chomóradh 40 bliain ó bunaíodh Raidió na Gaeltachta. Ba mhaith liom buíochas faoi leith a ghabháil le Edel Ní Chuireáin as an gcuireadh cineálta a thug sí dom bheith libh ar an ócáid cheiliúrtha seo.
[I am delighted to be with you all here this afternoon to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Radio na Gaeltachta, and I would like to thank Edel Ní Chuireáin for her kind invitation to join you in this celebration.]
It is a matter of intense personal joy and satisfaction to me that we can celebrate such an occasion. Getting the station established in the first place was a difficult process, and took a great commitment from a number of people. It took a long and hard fought campaign by the Gaeltacht Cearta Cibhata na Gaeltachata, including an experiment in piracy, to prod the Government into establishing a second broadcaster in the State, but establish it, it did.
That said, here we are, 40 years later, with a Radio Station that has a significant and long achievement within the proud tradition of public service broadcasting within a diverse and robust range of programmes broadcast on a national, and indeed global, basis.
The importance of the station for Gaeltacht communities has been incalculable, both in bolstering the language and in terms of supporting communities in those areas.
The simple geographical reality – that Gaeltacht communities are fragmented and distant from each other - poses a real challenge for their survival as unique cultural reservoirs. It means that the Gaeltacht community, in the larger sense, is spread over a large area, and is often internally fragmented.
Today the situation is very different, but in 1972 this was a real issue. Raidió na Gaeltachta was an entirely new departure in that it allowed people to have and share common experiences, to have issues that reflect their concerns, their needs and their lives discussed and debated, all in their own language. Moreover, it allowed people to actively interact with others across the different Gaeltachtaí – through debate, music and through sport.
Importantly, it also allowed people access to news and current affairs in their own language, meaning that important global and national issues could be conveyed in a direct and natural way to the people of the Gaeltacht. It also meant, of course, that issues of particular relevance to these communities could receive due prominence – local news could be delivered to local people in their own language. This has meant that everything from the most serious global issues to the smallest local news story can be broadcast to an interested audience.
Raidió na Gaeltachta has thus drawn Irish language communities closer together, it has brought joy to its listeners and has been a source of companionship to many and, in particular, to those who live in some of the remotest parts of Ireland. In my inauguration speech, I spoke of the importance of an inclusive society where people can participate and work together to build strong and resourceful communities. It is to your credit that the service you provide here has helped to do this agus molaim sibh go mór as an éacht seo.
The role the broadcaster has played in preserving and developing traditional music is impressive. By providing a platform for performers, new audiences have been exposed to the very best of Irish traditional music, and performers have been granted access to audiences much larger than they could ever have previously hoped for. In turn, this has led to a much greater appreciation for the diverse and wonderful offerings that traditional music has to offer, and brought greater attention and participation to it.
The broadcaster has also played a central role in preserving and promulgating the cultural works of previous generations; writers, poets, playwrights, composers, singers and actors. Your programme celebrating the life and work of the composer Seán Ó Riada is an example of this and I commend you for bringing the arts of folklore, stories and memories of previous generations to this one, and ensuring its availability for future generations.
The ongoing commitment of the broadcaster to contemporary drama is another example of how a diverse cultural offering contributes to the spiritual and intellectual well being of the State, but in particular to Gaeltacht areas. By exercising and engaging with pressing contemporary and historical issues, they can be explored and dealt with in a profoundly human manner that non fiction cannot hope to. On that note, I am delighted to hear that the outstanding writer Joe Steve Ó Neachtain has written a follow up series of Baile an Droichid. As we all know, a lot has happened in Ireland since the show was last broadcast – a drama series like this can, and I’m sure will, engage with all that has happened, and the implications for people in their every day lives.
While the station was founded to primarily serve Gaeltacht areas, it has grown to become a national broadcaster, and plays a central and profound role in the Irish language movement on a national basis and as a cultural touchstone for everyone in Ireland.
For Irish speakers, and those who want to learn the language the broadcaster is a critical resource - it provides an ever present community, a means to continually immerse themselves in the language and with issues that concern them. For those who are learning the language, or even re-learning the language, the station frames their experience; it allows them to become engaged with the Irish language community, even at a distance.
Moreover, due to the power of the internet, the station is also available globally – Irish speakers all over the world can access Irish language broadcasts. In this, it’s interesting to note that despite the proliferation of radio stations and the ready availability of other media sources, Raidió na Gaeltachta still survives and flourishes.
Na Gaeltachta Radio is thus obviously resistant to some of the more difficult challenges facing television due to the rise of new media, but it cannot be considered immune. There is clearly a place, and even a demand, for those types of cultural products that the global media market will not provide – products that reflect longstanding, complex and deeply embedded cultural constants. And for these, technology is not a threat, but rather an opportunity to spread their reach – to make unique product available to the world, and to preserve it for posterity.
Looking back to 1972, it is obvious now that the establishment of Raidió na Gaeltachta marked a vital stage in recognition of the communications rights of Irish language speakers and the start of a process that has been the foundation of a television station, an Irish Language Act and indeed, a much broader appreciation of the importance of the language at a national level.
If Irish is to be maintained and expanded as a living language, both in the Gaeltacht areas and outside of it Raidió na Gaeltachta has and will continue to play a central role in making this a reality.
Again, I congratulate the Broadcaster Radio na Gaeltachta on all that has been achieved in the last 40 years, and I wish them every success for the next 40 as they continue to provide their specific and invaluable service to Irish language communities across Ireland, and every success in continuing to develop the services they offer.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh agus go n-éirí go geal libh sa todhchaí.