Threat to Irish medium youth club after funding cut

AN Irish medium youth club in West Belfast is facing “instant service closures” due to a 98 per cent cut to its funding.

Glór na Móna is among Irish medium youth services across the region that will be affected by Education Authority cuts.

Over £86,000 in cuts will result in five job losses and “instant service closures” at the Upper Springfield-based organisation, which currently opens five nights a week and has 160 members, aged eight to 18.

An urgent public meeting in support of Glór na Móna will take place on Thursday at 7.30pm at Gael-Ionad Mhic Goill in Whiterock Close.

Glór na Móna has been funded by the Education Authority – previously the Education and Library Board – from 2009 to deliver Irish Medium Youth services. The funding stream for Irish medium youth services is set to close on April 1 due to “budget constraints”.

Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh, Director of Glór na Móna, said the club are “bitterly disappointed at this devastating decision”.

"Practically, this will result in the loss of five posts including a full-time leader in charge and effectively puts our 160 local young people out in the street with no alternative youth provision in the area for young Irish speakers.

“Our local post-primary school, Coláiste Feirste, has undergone exponential growth over the past five years with its number increasing from 650 to 900 and this growth has been mirrored in our Irish Medium primary schools who are now bursting at the seams through the west of the city.”

2Gallery He said the decision “flies in the face” of the government’s statutory duty to ‘facilitate and encourage the development of IME’ that was enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement."

“However, our young people, their parents and the wider West Belfast community will not accept this decision and the cavalier disregard shown to the rights of our young people,” he said.

Sixteen-year-old youth volunteer Connlaoi Gillen, who has been involved in Glór na Móna since he was seven-years-old said: "This is a total disgrace. We can’t understand how those in power could make such a decision and close our youth club which is such a big part of all our lives.

"I’ve been coming to Glór na Móna since I was seven-year-old and in that time I have seen it develop into the biggest youth club in the area. This was driven by the commitment of volunteers and young people and it’s like a second home to me. In our club, the Irish language comes to life and we use it informally and have the best of craic.

“Taking this from us is simply so unfair. We can’t take this lying down and need to be part of the fight back.”

Glór na Móna has encouraged people from across the community to attend this Thursday’s public meeting.

“We appeal to you to make every effort to get to this meeting and show those in power that we are united in support of our young people,” it said.

"We are Dearg le Fearg, rights and resources are non-negotiable. "

A spokesperson for the Education Authority said the agency continues to support Irish medium youth services.

“Glór na Móna were funded previously under a legacy funding scheme which has been replaced in line with the Priorities for Youth policy,” the spokesperson said.

“An extension to legacy funding was granted for one further year to allow the sector to prepare for the changes in funding. Glór na Móna will be able to apply for relevant funding under the new scheme”.

Responding to the Education Authority’s claims, Mr Mac Ionnrachtaigh said the new funding scheme would still mean a cut of over £80,000 for Glór na Móna.

"In November 2021, EA worked in partnership with Glór na Móna on a proposed Irish Medium Education collaborative West Belfast funding specification within the EA’s new funding scheme, which was to be released on January 2022. This was presented to West Belfast Local Area Group in November and received unanimous support.

"In January, they pulled the proposal and informed us they had no budget for it. They suggested we apply for a £2,000 generic non-targeted scheme to cover electric instead.