Gaeltacht 2020 - The Connemara Programme
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Gaeltacht 2020 Connemara Programme www.connemaraprogramme.com July 2016
Connemara Programme 2
Table of Contents
Introduction P3
Gaeltacht Challenges P3
Make Irish Current, Relevant, Useful P3
Preparing for Rural Broadband P3
Udaras Funding Focus P4
Gaeltacht Internet Service and Innovation Hubs P4
Inter Gaeltacht Area Links P4
About the Connemara Programme P5
Connemara ProgrammeConnemara Programme 3
Introduction
The core purpose of the Gaeltacht is to slow, halt and reverse socio-economic and linguistic decline in
“those areas in Ireland where the Irish language is, or was until the recent past, the main spoken
language of a substantial number of the local population” (ref: Udaras website 2016).
This is actioned through direct state intervention using focused socio-economic policies and initiatives.
However, despite decades of effort, Census 2016 again illustrates the on-going 150 year erosion of
the Irish language as a mainstream form of social and business communication.
This paper has a number of innovative initiatives to improve the implementation and impact of
Gaeltacht area state interventions in the short, medium and long term. All are budget neutral or can
be funded with EU support. The initiatives benefit all Gaeltacht actors as they are geography, sector
and skill neutral.
Gaeltacht Challenges
The key challenges facing Gaeltacht areas are: emigration, population density and cost of service
provision. None of these are linguistically significant but all undermine the socio economic and
demographic viability of Gaeltacht areas. This in turn reduces population levels and impacts the age
profiles necessary to preserve Irish as a viable community language.
New Approaches
1. Make Irish Current, Relevant, Useful
The vast majority of global information is not available in Irish. With the rapid growth and
digitisation of global Information this puts Irish speakers at a growing disadvantage and erodes
the viability of Irish as a living language.
Approach
Initiate a project with Google to radically improve the Irish translation resources on Google
Translate and other online translation systems. This project to include third level Institutions
with Irish expertise, local area Irish speakers and experts. (EU funding is available for initiatives
such as this under the Cultural Heritage stream of Horizon 2020 so it could be budget neutral)
[https://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index.cfm?pg=cultural)]
2. Preparing for Rural Broadband
The simple provision of rural broadband is unlikely to benefit Gaeltacht businesses if they are
not pre-positioned and skilled to immediately benefit from it.
Approach
Initiate a Gaeltacht program to introduce and improve online business skills and capabilities in
advance of the availability of rural broadband. This to focus on Gaeltacht businesses, community
organisations and groups. Udaras, local 2nd level schools and VEC structures can provide a
framework for this program. (It also leverages Point 1 as content can be in Irish or 80 languages
through auto translation). (EU funding is available for rural skills improvement from DG
Agriculture and Rural affairs which has an Irish Commissioner) ESF funding, EaSI, FEAD[
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=86]
Connemara ProgrammeConnemara Programme 4
3. Udaras Funding Focus
Udaras provides a critical channel of funding for Gaeltacht initiatives. In the pre digital age this
focused on bricks and mortar facilities and manual production skills which are increasingly ill
suited to the inclusion and successful participation of the Gaeltacht areas and people in a global
digital service based economy.
Approach
Udaras to allocate 10 – 20% of its annual funding to implement the infrastructure and supports
necessary for the emergence and support of digital clusters and skill sets in Gaeltacht areas.
(Various EU Funds are available to support such initiatives)
4. Gaeltacht Internet Service and Innovation Hubs
Gaeltacht children are being educated in the use and opportunities of Digital tools, business
capabilities and skills. To exercise these skills as a career they must, at present, emigrate abroad
or to major urban centres such as Dublin, Cork and Dublin. This removes future-critical skills and
young people from the Gaeltacht.
Approach
Udaras to convert and appropriately equip 1 unused / underutilised facility (Office or Factory ) in
each Gaeltacht area to be a fibre serviced digital hub, innovation centre and base of operations
for local digital entrepreneurs and businesses. (This provides an economic incentive to deploy
Rural fibre broadband backbones to Gaeltact areas, provides a focus for concentrating Gaeltacht
digital skills and provides local incentives / examples to businesses to implement / upgrade
digital skills and capabilities using local resources). (Skibbereen is a good example of what can be
achieved using this approach) [http://www.ludgate.ie/]. Various EU funds are available for such
initiatives)
5. Inter Gaeltacht Area Links
The Gaeltact areas are widely dispersed mainly along the west coast. The majority are
situated on the Wild Atlantic Way. They are however not documented, marketed or
linked as integrated, core cultural elements of the Irish / Wild Atlantic Way experience.
Approach
The implementation of a project to document, maintain and present online in a
consistent way, all the social, economic, cultural and natural resources of the Gaeltacht
areas in order to create a “Virtual Gaeltacht Community” promote inter Gaeltacht area
tourism and networks, increase visibility and demand for Gaeltacht products and
services locally, nationally and internationally. (An early example of the type of outcome
of this can be seen at Wild Atlantic Way Connemara). EU funding is available for such
initiatives)
These 5 proposal allow existing programs focused on the Gaeltacht to engage, leverage and
cross support other policy lines such as rural broadband, rural regeneration, Infrastructure
investments. They provide viable short term opportunities to initiate budget neutral
support mechanisms focused on ensuring thriving 21st century Gaeltacht areas and halt 150
years of decay.
Connemara ProgrammeConnemara Programme 5
About the Connemara Programme (www.connemaraprogramme.com)
The Connemara Programme was created in 2012 to help drive a locally resourced recovery
and prepare Connemara for the arrival of high Speed broadband.
Over 60,000 items of information on the social, economic, demographic, topographical
cultural, heritage and natural resources of Connemara have been documented and digitised
for online presentation. Over 85,000 new photographs of the Connemara have been taken
for use on the myconnemara.com site (www.myconnemara.com). The data is categorised into
over 1500 categories and sub categories. The data is also uses to provide sector and Town
specific online maps for Connemara businesses and organisations.
During our ongoing research 1387 organisations, 4,000 natural features and over 6,000 items
of historical, heritage or cultural importance have been identified and mapped. 150 new
business opportunities have been documented as have the 150 countries that Connemara
Businesses export to.
In 2016 the Programme has created an expanded online Wild Atlantic Way information set
designed to allow all Connemara communities to benefit from the WAW.
The Programme is self-funded to date and is based in Clifden, Connemara. It was the recipient
of the Community Impact Award at the 2016 SCCUL Awards. It also provided input and acts
as an advisor on rural issues, repopulation strategies and cultural Heritage to the European
Commission.
Contact Details
Colum Joyce
Connemara Programme Ltd
14 Canons Lane, Clifden, Co Galway, Republic of Ireland
Telephone +353 (0) 877 105 927
columjoyce@connemaraprogramme.com
Web: www.connemaraprogramme.com
Web: www.myconnemara.com
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