Sinn Féin and Alliance seek more funds for Irish festival and Belfast Gaeltacht bursaries

Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party are asking for more money for a permanent annual programme for Seachtain na Gaeilge and bursaries for the Gaeltacht in Belfast.

At a recent Belfast City Council Committee meeting, elected representatives were given an update on the approved language strategy action plan for the city, in which city officers failed to make firm commitments to spending but proposed to “undertake exploratory work” given the “significant resources” required by the Sinn Féin/Alliance proposals.

During the previous meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, where the language strategy action plan was given the green light, Sinn Féin and Alliance asked for further amendments to the Action Plan, specifically, actions in relation to the development of a Gaeltacht Bursary Scheme and recurring annual funding for a large-scale event to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge.

City Solicitor Nora Largey told councillors at the most recent meeting of the S,P&R Committee: “You will recall on the last time this was brought to the committee a final version after consultation had been undertaken.

“At the last committee meeting there were a number of additions suggested to the action plan, additions suggested by Councillor Róis Maire Donnelly and by (Alliance) Councillor Sam Nelson.

“One related to Seachtain na Gaeilge, providing a comprehensive programme of events, also with a comprehensive comms plan in relation to third party events for the festival, and additional comms for the whole event.

“That is going to require a significant resource, in terms of finance, and also potentially people to support the delivery of that. So what we are proposing is rather than having those definite commitments in the action plan, is that we do a bit more work on that, so it is identified as an early commitment that we will bring forward a proposal on Seachtain na Gaeilge 2025.

“But just at the minute there are some resource implications that would involve a bit more work.”

She added: “In relation to Councillor Nelson’s proposal for a bursary for the Gaeltacht, which would be similar to other councils - that would be a significant resource in terms of the bursaries themselves. But our understanding is that there are dedicated teams that support the delivery of that at the Department for Communities for example at Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

“Again there are resource implications we will have to work through. But we will put that in the early action plan for the Gaeltacht 2025, and we are conscious of the summer schemes for the Gaeltacht, but we need to look at them in more detail.”

Seachtain na Gaeilge is an international Irish language festival and one of the biggest celebrations of the native language of the island of Ireland and its culture. It takes place each year in Ireland and in many other countries in the month of March, and translates as ‘Irish Week’.

The council report states: “While there was broad agreement with the revised Language Strategy Action Plan, members have suggested some further amendments to the Action Plan, specifically, actions in relation to the development of a Gaeltacht Bursary Scheme and recurring annual funding for a large-scale event to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge.

“The proposals in relation to Seachtain na Gaeilge also include a commitment to compiling and publishing a comprehensive programme of events for all events, not just those organised by council. It is also proposed that the council will organise a comprehensive calendar of events and place particular emphasis on Irish language branding, posters, exhibitions in City Hall and use of Irish at Council meetings during the festival.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly, who made the Seachtain na Gaeilge proposal, said: “We are happy enough for that exploration work to go ahead, and that there are big resource commitments for both. We would just ask that we get something back around September (this year), if it was to be in the first quarter of next year, that would be cutting it short.” The City Solicitor said that was her “ambition”.

DUP Councillor Sarah Bunting said: “I want to check on specifically the bursary scheme, if that could fall between what could potentially be a doubling up of what is (happening) in other committees.

“We have been clear in our response that we would be keen to see more around the disability languages. I would not like the council to be doubling up on things that have already been provided by other departments both here and in the Assembly.” The City Solicitor confirmed council officers would be looking at this, and “what is available” in terms of bursaries.

SDLP Councillor Carl Whyte said: “We raised this in the Irish language working group, in that there is a duplication issue, but there are also large gaps, where groups of Irish language students are essentially ineligible for certain Gaeltacht bursaries because they are not able to go for three weeks in the summer.

“I am not sure we need huge teams of staff to administer bursaries, I think that money can be provided to organisations who already do that.”