The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983

PAT JESS

Tourism has recently developed as an important aspect of the local economy. Some of the areas characteristics like its remoteness and its traditional culture are precisely what makes it attractive to increasing numbers of visitors. This has brought back an interest in local crafts. The handlooms are back in use to produce wall hangings and other craft items.

Developments like the holiday village in Glencolmcille were boosted by the initiative of Father McDyer. But what effect has increased tourism had on the local culture and language?

FATHER MCDYER

Tourism is particularly obnoxious in obliterating local traditional culture, because tourists come from afar, whether it’s from this country or other countries, and naturally people in an isolated place like this are inclined to ape the tourists in their way of life and in their value and particularly in their mode of speech.

The girls here in charge of our Folk Museum if they meet tourists, as they do, they have to converse in English. So very gradually the Irish spoken residue that we have here is becoming eroded through the development of tourists. Now of course it’s a catch 22 question: are you going to leave this into a sort of an Indian reservation and have no development at all or are you going to risk the language or the culture by having development?

I came down heavily on the side of the latter because I claimed that if you didn’t have development you would soon have no people here at all. But I do think having got a certain amount of development going industrial-wise and tourist-wise then you’ve got to work twice as hard then to try to restore the values that have been lost and especially the language that has been lost.

PRESENTER

The Kilcar community is working hard to restore the Irish language and traditions. Michael O’ Donnell who is shop steward in the Kilcar factory is now leader of the parish council. What is it doing about restoring the language?

MICHAEL O’ DONNELL

Well we attack that on many fronts. First we set up a cultural organisation in the parish which would look after all the aspects and the cultural line. For instance take the language now. We did see that of course the language as the life of Ireland, that is the heart of Ireland in a way, and for that reason we had to do something about a language that appeared to be slipping a bit over the last few years.

PRESENTER

However much the Irish language might be slipping the area itself has been revitalised. Emigration has been stemmed and the local population is increasing for the first time in living memory. The new synthesis of economy and culture’s in the making. There are formidable problems on both fronts, whether the Irish language remains a living part of this synthesis, only time will tell.

[Gaelic singing]