Give us back our language

A demonstration took place at the European Union offices in Dublin today over the status of the Irish language.

Protestors called for the nation's first language to be recognised as an official EU language, along with nine other languages that are to be included in EU law following the accession of new member-states in May 2004.

Following the accession, the inclusion of Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene and Maltese will bring to 20 the number of languages recognised as official by the EU.

STADAS, a group comprised of representatives of Irish language groups, educators and legal figures, has been formed to lobby the Government on the issue.

Protesters have warned that exclusion of Irish would put the language under greater pressure and that its inclusion would help create jobs and safeguard the future of the language in a greater EU.

An online petition has been in circulation calling on the Government to ask that Irish be included as an official EU language. The following is the text of an email circulating the internet requesting support for the petition, which is located at

https://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gaedhilg

A chairde,

Following the accession in May, the EU shall have 20 official languages. Gaeilge (Irish) will, again, not be included. This is an insult to Ireland and an erosion of yet another part of our national identity. It flies in the face of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities (Art. 1; Art. 2; Art. 3; Art. 4; Art. 8)n The `cost' of using an official language is minimal.

Would the French or Germans react if their languages were not included? How about the British or Welsh?

This is also the FF government, yet again, giving the fingers to 380,000 of Irelands' citizens (who for the most part are incidentally are located in the north and west of Ireland).

Now this may seem trivial, but if they are willing to and get away with ignoring a member country's official language, what else will Ireland be rail-roaded into?

It's up to you. Is it OK for us to be second class citizens in Europe? Will that do us, like it did all the generations before us? Is it reasonable to assume we will sacrifice our culture and heritage for the egreater goodi!?!?

I encourage you all to sign and forward this petition. Who knows? The longest journey begin with one step......

TEXT OF PETITION

To: Dail Eireann - Irish Parliament

Is i ar n-eileamh go ngairfear teanga oifigiuil oibre de chuid an Aontais Eorpaigh den Ghaeilge.

Le meas,
Muid, a chuir ar n-ainm le seo.

We demand that the Irish language be declared an official working language of the European Union.

Sincerely,

TEXT OF PETITION

Urgent Appeal