Galway's Gold Mine — What The Irish Language Can Do For The City

The Connacht Tribune, Christmas Number, Saturday, December 8, 1928.

(By Ernest Blythe)

Introduction

Towards the end of August I was present at the first performance given in the theatre for Irish plays which has been established in Galway. I said in the "Connacht Tribune" the following week that I regarded the event at which I had the privilege of assisting as one of great significance.

The organization of Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe was a welcome indication that an active and intelligent section of the inhabitants of the capital of the West are alive to the opportunities which lie before their city. It will be undoubtedly a benefit to Galway if it can be made a regular port of call for trans Atlantic liner, but it is no less certain that the city can gain ten times, perhaps a hundred times, as much even in the material sense if it will make itself the most active centre of work in connection with the restoration of Irish as the common vehicle of speech throughout the country.

University College

When the grants to the colleges of the National University were being reviewed a couple of years ago, Galway College was, I think, I may fairly claim, generously treated, and was accorded an annual grant substantially in excess of the sum that it would have received if it had not been in a position to do special work in connection with the Irish language and if it had not undertaken to do such work. If the authorities of University College, Galway, will push forward along the path upon which they have entered and if he citizens will cooperate them in making the whole district an entirely Irish speaking area, there is no reason at all why funds and facilities should not be made available which would increase the number of students in Galway to something like 1,030.

The Dáil a few weeks ago passed the second reading of a Bill which will oblige future readers of the legal profession to show before their ??? that they have a competent knowledge of the Irish language. A division was challenged and the voting showed that there were ?? members for the Bill and 15 against. Such a vote should convince us all that the overwhelming majority of responsible men, in all the important political parties in the country are fully determined that all necessary steps shall be taken to restore the language to its proper place as the national tongue of the country and that to that end measures will gradually be taken which will ensure hat no person shall enter upon any of the lucrative and coveted careers or professions which are open to people of education without first obtaining a mastery of Irish.

Galway's Opportunity

Consequently it may be taken that if Galway develops amongst its inhabitants and in its schools and colleges the thoroughly Irish atmosphere, which it alone amongst the cities and towns of Ireland, may hope to have, students of all classes and ages will flock to it. It can, moreover, become the centre in which most of the Irish publications which must be provided in the future will be printed. It can also build up a permanent Irish theater which will give performances, if not every night, at least on two or three nights a week and which will draw visitors to the city in greater numbers than any attractions either in Galway or the neighborhood.

In the course of recent debates in the Dáil, it was said that the Government was spending half a million per annum for the revival of the Irish language. In fact, as was pointed out by Deputy Conlon, the actual annual expenditure is much nearer one—tenth of that sum. The outlay on work in connection with the Irish language will increase although it is not likely to reach the sum which has been mentioned by those who are opposed to our language policy. Whatever the amount may ultimately be, Galway will be able, if it likes, to obtain a big share of it. But the benefits that Galway will obtain through exercising to the full the attraction that it can have for students, writers of Irish (who will necessarily be numerous in the future) and all serious language workers, as well as other visitors who will be drawn to the city by its distinctive life and characteristics, will be many times greater, than the benefits that it will get from any direct Government outlay. It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that Galway city has a gold mine in the Irish language if its people, generally speaking, have only the sense and enterprise to work it.