The whole island of Achill may be given Gaeltacht status in the future – but the long-term decision to become a bi-lingual community will have to be made by the local people.

peaking at the official opening of the new conference and training suite at Áras Forbairt Acla in Keel last week, the Minister of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, indicated that he was willing to grant Gaeltacht status to the whole island of Achill.

When the Gaeltacht areas were being drawn up in the 1950s, a line was drawn through the island, partitioning it into Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht areas. The area known as ‘upper’ Achill, which includes the villages of Saula, Achill Sound and Cill Damhnait, was given Gaeltacht status, while the area known as ‘lower’ Achill, which takes in the villages of Keel, Dooagh and Dookinella, was deprived of Gaeltacht status.

Minister O’ Cuiv said:

As far as I am concerned as Minister, if you want to strengthen the language in a community you have to focus on children. Therefore, the parents will have to make the long-term decision; do they want their children to be monolingual English or bi-lingual Irish and English? We will be coming and we will ask the community to say where they see their future.

If you decide to go the route [of promoting the language], we will outline the steps you will have to take and we will outline the supports we will give. It is in that context, I am open to the concept of looking at the whole area that comes under CFÁA because I think that, in reality, it is logical to take the whole island as a unit along with Currane, if that is what you choose. I am open to that particular thought process.

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