👉 Find out about The Open University's Geography courses. 👈
-
Change in the West of Ireland
Read now to access more details of Change in the West of IrelandIntroducing a collection of articles asking 'How can unique and distinctive regions, like the West of Ireland, retain the qualities that make them unique while continuing to modernise and interact with the wider world?'
-
Synthesis as a way of understanding the changing uniqueness of rural Ireland
Take part now to access more details of Synthesis as a way of understanding the changing uniqueness of rural IrelandWhat is synthesis? Discover how this way of thinking helps us to understand more about the way in which places retain their uniqueness within wider systems of interdependence.
-
The West of Ireland: Dimensions of distinctiveness
Read now to access more details of The West of Ireland: Dimensions of distinctivenessHow do you define 'the West of Ireland'? Do you look at cultural factors, geography, or something else?
-
Culture and regional distinctiveness
Read now to access more details of Culture and regional distinctivenessCulture and how language identifies that culture are key to understanding what makes a region unique.
-
The rural dimension – rundale in the West of Ireland
Read now to access more details of The rural dimension – rundale in the West of IrelandThe rundale system once governed how farmland was distributed between tenants in Ireland. It supposedly died out in the 19th century, but this was not actually the case in some parts of the West of Ireland.
-
The rural dimension – after rundale
Watch now to access more details of The rural dimension – after rundaleHow did the rural areas of Western Ireland change after the rundale system was replaced?
-
A changing uniqueness – The changing ‘place’ of the West
Read now to access more details of A changing uniqueness – The changing ‘place’ of the WestThe population of Western Ireland declined dramatically between 1891 and 1961. How do you think this affected Ireland as a whole?
-
The realities of rural life in the 1950s-1980s
Watch now to access more details of The realities of rural life in the 1950s-1980sThe period of the 1950s to 1980s was the beginning of modernisation in community life and farming and the development of manufacturing industry in the West of Ireland.
-
Culture and the manufacturing industry, 1983
Watch now to access more details of Culture and the manufacturing industry, 1983In 1983, the fight to retain a unique Irish speaking culture meant that jobs had to be created locally in manufacturing and tourism so that Irish speakers no longer had to emigrate, but industrialisation also threatened the survival of the Irish language.
-
The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983
Watch now to access more details of The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983Father James McDyer discusses the dilemma of the Glencolmcille holiday village between development, language and culture and the threat of depopulation. Tourism is important for economic development but what impact does it have on local culture and the Irish language?
-
Southwest Donegal: uniqueness and interdependence in 2015
Read now to access more details of Southwest Donegal: uniqueness and interdependence in 2015In Southwest Donegal, we see both the local uniqueness and different interdependencies and interconnections with other places.
-
The future of rural Ireland - nuances, scale and fighting back
Read now to access more details of The future of rural Ireland - nuances, scale and fighting backThe future of rural Ireland - nuances, scale and fighting back
Glencolmcille folk village, 2015
One of the main motives behind the continued development of local industries in Southwest Donegal over the last thirty years has been the maintenance of an Irish-speaking community. The development has, in turn, put further pressure on the Irish language, and English has now become the dominant means of communication over most of what is officially an Irish-speaking area. On the other hand, development, combined with the decreasing job opportunities both overseas and elsewhere in Ireland, stemmed the flow of emigration and the local population increased for the first time in living memory.
Inside a cottage at the folk village
The Glencolmcille Folk Village - established by Fr McDyer, as we saw in 'The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983' - is still an important and popular tourist attraction, with about 40,000 visitors annually. While it offers a unique attraction founded on the local culture and heritage, in 2015 many linkages are made which demonstrate the area’s on-going interdependence with the outside world. Glencolmcille is depicted as the location where Bonny Prince Charlie took refuge after the battle of Culloden and where American painter Rockwell Kent, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and British composer Arnold Bax lived and found inspiration. The unique layers of history and culture make this an attractive destination, which depends on visitors who are increasingly attracted through marketing on Facebook, Twitter and Tripadvisor.
In 1983 the dilemma of undertaking development in order to retain population in the area, was recognised as risking eroding the local culture and language. In 'The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983' Father McDyer had argued that lack of development was not an option, resulting in ‘an Indian Reservation’ with no development and no people.
A recent report commissioned by Údarás na Gaeltachta published in May 2015 suggested that Irish (Gaeilge) will no longer be the primary language in any Gaeltacht community in ten years (Ó Giollagáin and Charlton, 2015; RTE, 2015). Using census figures from 2006 and 2011, it found that spoken Irish in the Gaeltacht - areas where the bulk of the population speak the language - is becoming confined to academic settings, with social use of Irish declining at a rapid rate. Of the 155 electoral divisions in the Gaeltacht, only 21 are communities where Irish is spoken on a daily basis by 67% or more of the population. Combining the numbers claiming to speak Irish daily both inside and outside of education, just 40% of the population of Southwest Donegal fulfil this requirement (2011 census data: 703 of 1758 people - Central Statistics Office, 2011).
The uniqueness of the Irish language, although under threat, can be seen as an important resource for the area. Oideas Gael, an organisation offering adult Irish language and cultural courses, attracts participants from around the world to Southwest Donegal.
Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, one of the founders of Oideas Gael, discusses the shift in language usage in the area in a conversation with Cillian Mac Gabhann.
When interviewed for this article in 2015, Liam Ó Cuinneagáin wrote:
"Bhà an Ghaeilge in gach uile áit thart orm agus mé ag fás anÃos sa Ghleann insna caogaidÃ. Tháinig athruithe móra laistigh de thrÃocha bliain i ndiaidh sin, sa dóigh gur bheartaigh mé féin agus an Dr Seosamh Watson tionscnamh a bhunú le hiarracht a dhéanamh moill a chur ar an chreimeadh teanga. I 1984, nuair a thosaigh Oideas Gael, thiocfadh linn siúl trasna an bhealaigh go Tigh Bhiddy agus gan ach Gaeilge a chluinstin ón fhoireann agus ón chuideachta ann. Sa lá inniu (2015) tá an tÃrdreach teanga imithe as a riocht go hiomlán seachas mar a bhÃ. NÃl ach cupla teaglach lóistÃn anois le hais an dosaein a bhà againn nuair a thosaigh muid. NÃl Gaeilge le cluinstin ag páistà i gclós na scoile ná sa bhaile nÃos mó. Bhà an-tionchar ag Oideas Gael ar an phobal riamh, mar atá i gcónaÃ, ó thaobh na heacnamaÃochta de agus is togra thar a bheith fiúntach don phobal é. Ar an drochuair, caithfimid a admháil nár éirigh linn an creimeadh teanga a chur ina stad, bÃodh go mb'fhéidir gur chuir moill bheag air -- is doiligh a rá."
"For me as a child growing up in The Glen during the fifties, Irish was the dominant language and spoken by 60% of the community. In 1984 when Dr Seosamh Watson and myself established Oideas Gael, the shift in language usage meant that those over fifty were the main users; Biddy’s Bar was directly across from the school and most of its clientele spoke Irish as a matter of course. Now, thirty years later (2015) the language landscape has changed dramatically. Children no longer play in Irish during playtime at school; our host families have reduced from twelve families to four and the English language is spoken daily by over 90% of the population. Oideas Gael is a strong force in the area, both economically and socially but, all in all, it is clear that reversing language decline is a particularly difficult challenge once the tipping point in the process has been reached."
-
Change in the West of Ireland
Read now to access more details of Change in the West of IrelandIntroducing a collection of articles asking 'How can unique and distinctive regions, like the West of Ireland, retain the qualities that make them unique while continuing to modernise and interact with the wider world?'
-
Synthesis as a way of understanding the changing uniqueness of rural Ireland
Take part now to access more details of Synthesis as a way of understanding the changing uniqueness of rural IrelandWhat is synthesis? Discover how this way of thinking helps us to understand more about the way in which places retain their uniqueness within wider systems of interdependence.
-
The West of Ireland: Dimensions of distinctiveness
Read now to access more details of The West of Ireland: Dimensions of distinctivenessHow do you define 'the West of Ireland'? Do you look at cultural factors, geography, or something else?
-
Culture and regional distinctiveness
Read now to access more details of Culture and regional distinctivenessCulture and how language identifies that culture are key to understanding what makes a region unique.
-
The rural dimension – rundale in the West of Ireland
Read now to access more details of The rural dimension – rundale in the West of IrelandThe rundale system once governed how farmland was distributed between tenants in Ireland. It supposedly died out in the 19th century, but this was not actually the case in some parts of the West of Ireland.
-
The rural dimension – after rundale
Watch now to access more details of The rural dimension – after rundaleHow did the rural areas of Western Ireland change after the rundale system was replaced?
-
A changing uniqueness – The changing ‘place’ of the West
Read now to access more details of A changing uniqueness – The changing ‘place’ of the WestThe population of Western Ireland declined dramatically between 1891 and 1961. How do you think this affected Ireland as a whole?
-
The realities of rural life in the 1950s-1980s
Watch now to access more details of The realities of rural life in the 1950s-1980sThe period of the 1950s to 1980s was the beginning of modernisation in community life and farming and the development of manufacturing industry in the West of Ireland.
-
Culture and the manufacturing industry, 1983
Watch now to access more details of Culture and the manufacturing industry, 1983In 1983, the fight to retain a unique Irish speaking culture meant that jobs had to be created locally in manufacturing and tourism so that Irish speakers no longer had to emigrate, but industrialisation also threatened the survival of the Irish language.
-
The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983
Watch now to access more details of The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983Father James McDyer discusses the dilemma of the Glencolmcille holiday village between development, language and culture and the threat of depopulation. Tourism is important for economic development but what impact does it have on local culture and the Irish language?
-
Southwest Donegal: uniqueness and interdependence in 2015
Read now to access more details of Southwest Donegal: uniqueness and interdependence in 2015In Southwest Donegal, we see both the local uniqueness and different interdependencies and interconnections with other places.
-
The future of rural Ireland - nuances, scale and fighting back
Read now to access more details of The future of rural Ireland - nuances, scale and fighting backThe future of rural Ireland - nuances, scale and fighting back
Rate and Review
Rate this video
Review this video
Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.
Video reviews