Republican News · Thursday 3 October 2002

Irish language Media Manifesto launched

The Irish language media could create up to 5 jobs in Belfast within a year if the British government fulfilled its commitments to the language under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a press conference was told last week.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams pledged his support to a campaign to win support from both the Irish and British governments for three proposals that "would radically transform the Irish language situation in Belfast and provide a firm economic basis for the cultural revival taking place in the city".

The West Belfast MP was presented with a new Irish language Media Manifesto in Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on Belfast's Falls Road. The manifesto, drawn up by the Aisling Ghear organisation, calls for a licence for the Belfast-based Irish language radio station Raidio Fáilte, funding to allow the daily publication of the newspaper Lá and the establishment of a dedicated production fund to allow Irish language producers to make programmes for TG4.

"Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the British government committed itself to developing the Irish language media. They also ratified the European Charter for Lesser Used Languages, designed to enhance the position of the language in a number of areas, including the media," said Adams. "So far progress has been slow. The proposals in the Media Manifesto represent a practical and cost effective way to develop the Irish language media and thereby fulfil the obligations under the Good Friday Agreement and the European Charter," he said. Sinn Féin would be lobbying both the British and Irish governments in support of the proposals.

Eoghan Ó Neill, cofounder of Raidio Fáilte, told the press that by granting the station a licence, the Radio Authority would open the door to a jobs bonanza for the Irish speaking community in the city.

"We already know from potential funders and advisers that a licence would bring on stream grant aid and income that would allow Raidio Fáilte to employ a full, permanent staff of ten people within the first year, with the potential for further development thereafter," he said.

Lá publisher Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said the time was now right for a top quality daily newspaper in Irish. "A daily newspaper will fulfil a need within the Irish language community and strengthen even further the economic base for development in the language," he said.

Gearóid Ó Cairealláin, from the television production company Scannáin Aisling Ghear, called for the British government to establish the long awaited Production Fund.

"TG4 has been on the air for five years, yet the northern authorities have still to contribute their first pound to programme making," he said. "The Good Friday Agreement commits the British government to developing television production in the North and it is now time to establish a Production Fund to enable that commitment to be fulfilled."