What The District Councils Might Do

From An Claidheamh Soluis, December 1, 1906.

Speaking broadly, every Urban or District Council Chamber in an Irish-speaking or semi-Irish-speaking district is a stronghold of Englishism—or at any rate of un-Irishism—in thought and speech. Last week we urged that the time had come when the movement might reasonably expect that the Boards in the Gaedhealtacht should declare themselves with the Gael to the extent of making Irish the language of their deliberations. We intend to return to the point. Meantime, let us set down some further headlines. The many local workers who are devoting their attention to the question of Gaelicising the public Boards, and seeing that they utilise their taxing and spending powers to the advantage of the movement, would, we think, do well to direct their efforts especially in the following directions. As opportunities present themselves, let the Boards be called upon—

1. To conduct their deliberations as far as possible in Irish.
2. To make a knowledge of Irish an essential qualification for appointments, and an essential condition of promotion.
3. To follow the example of the Aonach Urmhumhan Council in striking a rate for Irish teaching purposes.
4. To follow the example of the Uachtar Ard Council in putting the Compulsory Education Act in force only in the case of schools in which Irish is properly taught as a living language to all the pupils.
5. To follow the example of the same Council in promoting lectures on Hygiene, Domestic Economy, etc., in Irish.
6. To follow the example of the same and of several other Councils in placing sign-posts exclusively in Irish at all cross roads in the district.
7. To follow the example of the Lios Mor, Dun Gharbhain, Durlas, and other Councils in making grants for the teaching of Irish in the workhouse schools.
8. To follow the example of the Baile Atha Cliath Corporation, and the North Baile Atha Cliath Board of Guardians, in addressing their official correspondence in Irish.
9. To follow the example of the Baile Atha Cliath Corporation in putting its name in Irish only on its carts (the Cleansing Committee’s carts appear in the streets of the metropolis this week with the legend ‘Coiste Glantoireachta Bhaile Atha Cliath’).
10. To keep their official minutes and send out their Agenda in Irish—proposals to which effect are, we understand, under discussion in Baile Atha Cliath and in Dun na nGall.

In these suggestions we have confined ourselves to ways and means of promoting the welfare of the living language in the Councils’ respective districts. The part which the local bodies might play in the industrial revival, in the fight for native control of the schools, in the war with the Banks and the Post Office, scarcely needs emphasising.