The Dáil will be focusing on the Gaeltacht housing crisis tonight.
This motion, tabled by Sinn Féin, will support the TINTEÁN protest taking place outside the Dáil today.
They have set out 11 demands, including a planning statement for the Gaeltacht without delay, a grant scheme for Gaeltacht housing, and the implementation of the comprehensive policy on Gaeltacht housing.
Representatives of the BÁNÚ campaign, Conradh na Gaeltachta, and the Meitheal Náisiúnta of language planning officers will also give a presentation to TDs and Senators in Leinster House this afternoon.
Following a national protest, which saw 25,000 people take to the streets of Dublin demanding urgent political intervention for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, last September the Donegal News spoke to Niamh Ní Dhubhgáin from Tory Island.
Niamh was one of the hundreds of people from the Donegal Gaeltacht who travelled to the capital in their busloads for the protest.
Niamh Ní Dhubhgáin from Tory Island performing on stage outside Leinster House.
During the demonstration she took to the stage and delivered a powerful performance of a self-penned song set to the tune of the popular Kingfishr hit Killeagh.
Using her platform to highlight the housing crisis in Gaeltacht communities, Niamh captivated protesters with her message.
Working as a teacher at Coláiste Lurgan in the Connemara Gaeltacht during the summer months, Niamh is no stranger to creativity. The Irish-language college is renowned for its Irish translations of hit songs.
But this time it wasn’t a translation – it was much more poignant.
The inspiration came from a stark poster she saw, outlining the housing reality in the small Gaeltacht area: 22 houses available on Airbnb, and none on Daft.ie.
“It really annoyed me,” Niamh told the Donegal News.
“It set off something in my brain and that night I couldn’t sleep. So instead of translating Killeagh, I could hear the lyrics ‘Níl cead pleanála-la-la’ (No planning permission).”
Her song was also inspired by the work of TINTEÁN and BÁNÚ, two community organisations working to raise awareness about the housing crisis in Gaeltacht areas.
The issue is not confined to Connemara, it’s just as critical in the Donegal Gaeltacht, where the number of houses available for short-term rental far outweighs those available for long-term lets.
As a result, local people are being pushed out and with them the Irish language is increasingly under threat.
‘FAILED POLICIES’
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD said it is now clear that Gaeltacht communities are being pushed out of their own areas due to a lack of affordable housing and the Government’s failed policies.
“We are seeing story after story where young people, young families and native Irish speakers cannot buy a home or secure a rental in their own area. At the same time, a large number of homes are being used for short-term tourist accommodation, while there is no supply available for local people. This is hollowing out the heart of the Gaeltacht.
“Five years ago, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised that action would finally be evident on the crisis in planning guidelines for the Gaeltacht, but the only action we have seen since then is Government scrapping their own power to publish guidelines.”
