Keep Irish Spoken Here

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Ráth Chairn (Rat Cairn) is a tiny Gaeltacht in County Meath established in 1935.

It comprises around 40 houses with descendants from an initial group of Irish speakers from Connemara who made the village their home.

Zoya Nic Eibhearáird writes:

But the Gaeltacht status of Ráth Chairn, as well as the native language and culture is now under threat.

Bord Pleanála has given planning permission for the development of a housing estate and a hotel, despite the locals, Meath County Council, Comharchumann Ráth Chairn and the Bord Pleanála inspector being against the development.

If a housing estate of such a size is built in this small village, there is a risk that it will be people who do not speak Irish on a daily basis and not Irish speaking families who buy the houses and move in, especially as no measures to ensure the preservation of the Irish Language have been sufficiently detailed.

If a large number of people who don’t speak Irish on a daily basis move to Ráth Chairn, irreparable damage could be done to the Irish Language in this region. A case is being prepared for the High Court and we are raising awareness.

Petition here

Forbairt tithíochta ag cur imní ar mhuintir Ráth Chairn (Meon Eile)

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17 thoughts on “Keep Irish Spoken Here

  1. please revert to your regular username

    Pitchforks at the ready.
    All present and correct.
    This is a local place for local people.We’ll have none of that nonsense here.

    1. Daisy Chainsaw

      I think it’s more like not allowing grey squirrels into a protected red squirrel area. A Special Area of Conservation for people with a particular way of life.

    2. Brother Barnabas

      eh, what’s that, charger… ? a brexiteer taking the high ground on a charge of xenophobia? marvellous

  2. The Dude

    And only yesterday the Board decided to allow demolition of the 1916 O’Rahilly House in Herbert Park, where key meetings prior to Easter Week were held.

    Grand bunch of lads, the Board. Not.

  3. Slightly Bemused

    A number of years go I worked for a printer. Each month we prepared a newsletter for Rath Cairn, and it was my great pleasure to deliver them to someone who looked a lot like a younger Seán MacDonnacha.

    Trying to regain my fluency. Now that the UK is no longer in the EU, Gaeilge becomes our first language!

  4. Brughahaha

    Why dont they just stick up a sign “No “new” Irish here”. “Real” Irish people only. Discrimination, racism and exceptionalism dressed up as culture

  5. goldenbrown

    https://www.theirishstory.com/2012/07/13/rath-cairn-land-reform-language-politics-in-the-irish-free-state/

    aha, if I recall correctly Newstalk ran a very good documentary on this place a couple of years back, might still be on the podcast

    a DeValera experiment…some “migrants” were considered less worthy than others in a “you’re not Irish enough” kinda shennanigans way

    there is a cohort of some to this day in certain organisations who still float about on a self-important cloud of exclusivity who would nearly drop back to english because you can’t speak in their turbocharged thick Donegal SuperIrish, utter nonsense.

    given the current housing crisis I have no time for the likes of this current planning row, build the houses already

  6. GiggidyGoo

    Have to agree with the locals on this. I used to deal with an engineering company there, and everytime I phoned in on their switchboard, it was answered in Irish. Probably the same still. But it was refreshing to hear it as a matter of course.

    Udaras Na Gaeltachta practise racism if you want to go down that road – special grants etc. for companies setting up in gaeltacht areas.

  7. please revert to your regular username

    Imagine being told you’re not welcome somewhere because you don’t speak the language.
    In old-fashioned money it’s called racism.

  8. Sina Hogan

    It might be an idea to have an initiative to give the people who want to buy the houses there a grant if they can prove that they are fluent in Irish.

    There are a lot of people in the surrounding areas of Navan, Athboy and Trim who went to school there and would have some fluency and would be glad of a cheap house!

    Wasn’t there something like that in the past if you wanted to build there.

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