Derry's Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin takes strike action over lack of investment

Derry's Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin is among a number of Irish language organisations taking strike action today, calling for fair investment for the Irish language from both governments.

The Irish language community North and South are seeking an immediate solution and fair investment as they undertake a new campaign to highlight historic disinvestment in the language.

Over 40 Irish-language and Gaeltacht groups across the country will be on a half-day strike as part of the R.A.I.C. (Solution Now, Fair Investment) campaign.

The strike is being organised to call on both Governments north and south to reverse the latest cuts of €820,000 announced recently by Foras na Gaeilge by providing the appropriate funding to Foras na Gaeilge now and to urgently develop a long-term solution for Irish-language funding. 

This decision followed a crisis assembly on ebruary 12 in Dublin between community groups and lead organisations who are affected by the cuts. The RAIC campaign aims to resolve long-term disinvestment and lack of equality and funding in the Irish language sector and to call for the short-term and long-term emergency to be resolved. 

This latest cut comes at a time when the DUP is blocking a proposal to amend the funding structure of the Language Body. At present, 25% of Foras na Gaeilge’s budget comes from the government in the north and 75% from the government in the south and neither government can put additional money towards the Foras budget without the equivalent from the other government.

Recently, a new arrangement was agreed between the two Ministers of Finance, through the north-south Ministerial Council, which would allow either government to put additional money towards the budget of An Foras Teanga without the equivalent of the other government.

The NI Executive must agree to this new amendment, but the DUP has blocked this proposal from going on the Executive’s agenda more than five times since November. Therefore, the DUP is vetoing additional funding for the Irish language on a 32 county basis at a time when the Irish Government has said that they have extra money ready to go immediately to Foras na Gaeilge.

Among the demands of the campaign, the groups are seeking; 

• Immediate adoption by both Governments of the new funding model for Foras na Gaeilge as proposed by both Finance Departments and the North South Ministerial Council (September 2024); 
• A commitment from Foras na Gaeilge that a reversal of the €820,000 for grantees would be the first priority in any additional funding received from Governments; 
• To provide Foras na Gaeilge with at least the additional €20m as laid out in the Growth Plan, an investment plan for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht agreed between 130 groups, and; 
• A commitment from Foras na Gaeilge to fund the projects/grantees mentioned in the Growth Plan as a priority for any additional funding received from both Governments or one Government. 

Siubhán Nic Amhlaoibh, director of Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, stated: “As part of the national response against the imminent cuts to the Irish language, Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, along with many other organisations across this island, will today be partaking in strike action.

"A large gap in Foras na Gaeilge's budget for this year means the future of our activities, our cultúrlann, and our native language is now at risk.

"Years of disinvestment in our main funding body has brought up to this point. This strike is just a small though bitter taste of the impact which these planned cuts will have if they are to go ahead.

"We urgently call on governments both north and south to ensure that their responsibility to provide access to culture and heritage, to safeguard minority languages, and to follow through with legislation is upheld.”