Dingle's Gaeltacht status uncertain

Dingle's Gaeltacht status uncertain

Dingle could lose its Gaeltacht status if the criteria suggested by a new linguistic study, which was released this week, is implemented.
A report on the status of the Irish language, A Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht was commissioned by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in 2004.
Its findings have now been examined by Connemara lecturer Donncha O hEallaithe and the implications arising from the study could signal the end of Dingle's all-Irish status. If strict linguistic criteria were to be implemented, as laid out by the study, the population of designated areas in Ireland could drop by 51,000, as areas previously recognised as Gaeltacht areas, such as Dingle, Belmullet in Mayo, Galway City and parts of Donegal would not fall within the guidelines designating a Gaeltacht. According to the study, the current national Gaeltacht population stands at 95,500. If the new criteria is implemented, that would drop to 44,000. This would deem areas such as Dingle ineligible for certain types of grant aid allocated to official all-Irish areas. In addition, infrastructural aids for housing, roadworks and marine facilities could be jeopardised. Civil servants such as teachers and members of the Gardai are also afforded additional payments for the execution of their duties in Gaeltacht areas.Data was compiled using statistics compiled by the the Central Statistics Office and from the Dept of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in assessing each Gaeltacht area.
During Mr. Ó'hEallaithe's examination of the data he found that only 17,000 Irish speakers nationwide fall into Category A., the strongest Irish-speaking areas. 10,000 live in Category B, while 17,000 live in areas where Irish is used on a sparse basis. Consequently, 51,000 individuals, currently living in so-called Gaeltachts, would no longer satisfy the criteria, as Irish would no longer be deemed the primary community language. In addition the influx of immigrant workers means that a large proportion of those living and working in Gaeltacht areas, such the West Kerry Gaeltacht, means that many workers in construction, bars, restaurants and hotels, have no experience or knowledge of the Irish language. A recent census survey indicated that up to 2% of Kerry's population is Polish-born however this does not account for the thousands who travel to the county in the summer months to engage in casual labour.

Cuilneach brother and sister pass away within hours of each other

Brother and sister pass away within hours of each other

Sadness as elderly siblings, who lived together their entire lives, are buried on the same day

A sense of sadness descended over the rural townland of Cuilneach, near Dingle, last week as an elderly brother and sister, who had lived together at their family's farmhouse all their lives in the countryside, passed away within a couple of hours of each other. John and Mary Martin, who were both in their eighties, passed away on Friday March 15th. John had taken ill earlier in the week and was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital in Dingle. Sadly, he took a bad turn on Friday morning and his sister Mary, with whom he shared a house in Cuilneach, was sent for. John, or Jack as he was also known, passed away around lunchtime on Friday and his elderly sister Mary made her way, accompanied by relatives, to the home they had shared to make preparations for the funeral and get some clothing. Sadly, Mary herself took ill at the Cuilneach farmhouse and passed away that afternoon, less than a few hours after her brother's passing. Friends and neighbours described John and Mary as very kind, gentle and giving people and their sudden demise has left a deep sense of sadness in the local community. Dingle's Parish Priest Canon Tom Looney paid tribute to John and Mary at Masses over the weekend, speaking of their kind and gentle demeanor, describing them as 'true old stock'.
John and Mary's removal took place last Sunday evening from O'Connor's Funeral Home, Dingle, to St. Mary's Church. Following Requiem Mass on Monday morning, John and Mary travelled together in procession to their final resting place at St. Brendan's Cemetery at Milltown-Dingle, where they were laid to rest with their late brother Tom. They are survived by their sister Anne McDonnell, relatives, neighbours and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anamacha dilís

Féile na Casca opens in Ballyferriter

Amtje Dimgels agus ealaíontóir áitiúil Helen Wynne ag breathnú ar oibre Helen ar an bhfalla ar chlé ag taispeántas ealaíona Féile na Casca i mBaile an Fheirteáraigh Dé Luan seo caite.

Dún Chaoin's Tigh Krugers open once again!

Tigh Krugers ar oscailt arís: D'Oscail na dóirse ar Tigh Kruger i nDún Chaoin an tseachtain seo tar éis é bheith dúnta le dhá bhliain anuas. Bunaigh Muiris 'Kruger' Ó'Caomhánaigh an Tigh Tábhairne cailiúil i gcroí-lár na Gaeltachta, caoga bliain ó shin. Tá beirt deatháir, Brían agus Niall Ó'Conchúir (ar chlé) ón Ghráig i mBaile an Fheirteáraigh tar éis é oscailt arís. Tá Tigh Krugers suite in aice Reilig Dún Chaoin agus uaimh Peig Sayers ar bhruach na faillte ag féachaint amach ar na mBlaoscaóidí.

Celebrating the culture and history of West Kerry's 'Bibeanna' (a group of mature ladies who published a book about their experiences growing up in Corca Dhuibhne), on a special float in the Dingle St. Patrick's Day Parade. Front, l-r, Mary O'Sullivan, Máire and Mathew Ó'Grifín (all Lispole). Back, trad musicians from the Lispole and Annascaul area.

Ian Grahan and Gerry Curran flying the flag during the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dingle.

Young musicians from the Dingle's Fife n' Drum Band enjoying a tune with St. Patrick during the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dingle last Monday.

Dingle jewellery presented to US President on Paddy's day

Dingle's Date with the White House....

Dingle eyes were smiling this Paddy's Day as one of their own made their mark at the White House when a pair of Brian De Staic designed cuff links were presented to US President George W. Bush, as part of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington last Monday. The presentation was made on Brian's behalf by his friend Fiona O'Sullivan, who is a sister of the famous Irish tenor Ronan Tynon and a personal friend of the US President and his family. The presentation came about when Brian, a member of Dingle's Rotary Club, met with Fiona, a fellow Rotarian during the year. "Fiona thought, as the Bushs will be soon leaving the White House, it would be nice to give them a uniquely Irish gift" said Brian. As it happens, Brian was developing and designing a new range of personal jewellery from his workshop in Dingle and agreed to custom make a a set of 14 ct gold cufflink for Presient Bush as well as a gold brooch from the same collection for the First Lady. Former President George Bush Senior and his wife Barbara Bush were also presented with the same items designed by Brian, made in Dingle. "There's an Ogham inscription on the President's cufflinks which reads Moladh go deo le Dia, which means, Praise be to God forever" Brian explained. It is not the first time Brian has made an impression on the White House with his work. In 1994 he presented some of his unique Ogham Collection to the then US President, Bill Clinton and his First Lady, Hillary Clinton who is currently battling it out with Senator Obama Barack for the Democratic Presidential nomination. In 2000, Brian himself travelled to the Vatican to present a silver pilgrim bell to the late Pope John Paul II.Some of his other famous clients include actors Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. Brian himself is delighted that his work has made it all the way to the White House, especially on St. Patrick's Day.""It's a great honour to see your product's being presented to the world's most influential man," he said. More information is available at http://www.briandestaic.com/.

Scottish football boss behind Dingle job losses

Scottish football mogul behind Dingle job losses

It has emerged that the man behind the Contact 4 operation in Dingle, which laid off 40 workers without pay or notice on February 28th, Mr. Pearse Flynn, is also the Chairman of Scottish Premier League Club Livingston FC. 108 workers were laid off in Dingle, Achill and Gaoth Daobhair on February 28th when the Scottish tele-sales company terminated their employment with a conference call. The workers, 40 in Dingle alone, had to pack up and leave immediately. To add insult to injury, the workers are still owed an entire months wages, holiday pay and bonus payments for targets reached in work. Contact 4 received €3 million in grant aid to set up in Ireland from Udaras na Gaeltachta and the Dingle call-centre had operated from the Udaras buildings in Milltown. A car-park and an extension was also built to facilitate Mr. Flynn's company.Mr. Flynn is also reportedly a shareholder in Celtic FC and his Glasgow call-centre, Contact4U has also gone into liquidation. He is also involved in a legal dispute with Callpoint Europe. Udaras na Gaeltachta are currently pursuing the matter and a redundancy fund is to be set up for the non-payment of the staff's wages.

West Kerry artists exhibit in NYC

West Kerry artists bite the Big Apple

The work of six West Kerry artists will be among the work of twenty-seven Kerry artists which will be showcased in the Big Apple this Thursday and Friday night (March 20th/21st) in a special exhibition at the Magnan Projects Art Gallery in New York City. West Kerry artists Deirdre McKenna, Liam O'Neill, Pat Hennessy, Carol Cronin, Mary Neville and Michael Flaherty will all submit work to the exhibit, which was organised by North Kerry TD (and former Kerry Football great), Deputy Jimmy Deenihan along with Tralee-born artist Padraig Tarrant, who is now based in NYC. The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the Seán MacCarthy Festival weekend, as all the artists exhibiting participated in last years festival held in Finuge. "Hopefully this exhibit will give out a strong message to the artistic community in New York that Kerry is not only one of the most beautiful parts of the world to visit but also one with a thriving visual arts community" said Deptuy Deenihan. More information on the exhibit is available at the Magnan Projects website:www.magnanprojects.com and at the Seán MacCarty Festival website, www.finugeweekend.com.

Storm hits West Kerry

Atlantic storm hits West Kerry

A bout of severe weather hit West Kerry last night, Sunday the 9th, as an intense Atlantic Storm centred itself over the South West coast of the country. This picture, taken yesterday at approximately 4.30pm at Clochar Strand in the Dún Chaoin area over looking An Fear Marbh of the Blasket Islands, shows the arrival of the storm, which weather experts had predicted would hit the country on Sunday night. Preparations for storm damage were rife throughout the rest of the country, however a knowing calm had settled over West Kerry as people waited for the arrival of the storm, not an uncommon thing in the West by all accounts. Ferocious gusts, bearing southeast to east, later shifting west to northwest battered Dingle and the West, reaching speeds of up to 170km per hour between 6am-8pm this morning. Some structural damage was reported,to sheds, outhouses with a lot of debris, however the area escaped relatively unscathed. A severe gale warning was issued by Met Eireann at 11pm on Monday 10th for overnight gales, however in West Kerry the winds have appeared to abated, for now. There is still a risk of heavy rain and sleet with a risk of local flooding in coastal areas at high tide.

40 Jobs lost as Contact 4 closes

Wage fears as sudden closure of call centre results in 40 job losses

40 employees at the Dingle based call centre Contact 4 lost their jobs last Thursday when centre manager Imelda McCracken received a phonecall indicating that all operations were to be halted immediately and that everyone employed there was to pack up and go home.
The Glasgow telemarketing company established call-centres in Dingle, Achill Island (Mayo) and Gaoth Daobhair (Donegal) almost three years ago with over €3million euro in grant aid received from local Gaeltacht authority Udarás na Gaeltachta.
The employees, who were paid on a monthly basis, now face an anxious wait to determine whether or not they will receive their wages for the past five weeks, in addition to other monies owed such as outstanding holiday pay, bonus payments for sales targets reached during work and, in some cases, redundancy payments for full-time employees.
"It was a normal working day, we were pushing on the phones to reach our daily sales targets when at 3pm I received a call from head office in Glasgow to say that the centre was closing there and then and that everyone had to go home immediately" explained centre manager Imelda.
The immediacy of the shock closure has devastated those who had been employed there, many of whom have young families, mortgages and were 100% dependent on the centre.
It is also a tough blow to the many employees who had received skills training in the centre, having returned to work after long-term unemployment.
"You would never expect that something like this would happen in 2007, its like something out of the 1970s" added local man David O'Neill who, as a senior employee, is owed several weeks holiday pay as well as bonus payments for sales targets he achieved during work.
Other employees at the Dingle centre are disgusted at the way they have been treated. "We have been shown absolutely no respect," said Michael Smurfwhite, who has been employed with the company for the past two years. Major building had been undertaken at Dingle's Udarás buildings in Milltown to facilitate Contact 4's arrival including the construction of a large extension and car park in an area of scenic beauty beside a river bank.
Some criticisms have been levelled locally towards Udarás na Gaeltachta who brought originally brought the company to the area.
However a statement released by Udarás na Gaeltachta this week indicated that they too had no prior notice of the closures which resulted in the loss of 108 jobs in Dingle, Achill Island and Gaoth Daobhair.
"These closures are a serious setback for employment in the Gaeltacht but it is worth noting that Údarás na Gaeltachta has shown its ability to source modern service investment, which generates substantial employment for Gaeltacht locations and will endeavour to build on the skills base built up in this sector over the past number of years" read the statement.
However this has done nothing to quell the distain felt by many of the employees. "We cannot believe that an agency of the Government, who invested so much money in this, would allow something like this to happen where employess are just told to pack up and go home" said Mr. Smurfwhite.
"This is not like Dublin, you can't walk down the road and get another job. What are we supposed to do now?"