Yesterdays examiner:

http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=2523&viewby=date

quote:

Cork County Council revealed it had spent almost E90,000 having local development plans translated at a rate of E127 per 1,000 words but had not received a single request for a copy in Irish.

http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=2524&viewby=date

Today's Lá:
http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=2532&viewby=date

quote:

Dhearbhaigh urlabhraí Chomhairle Contae na costais a bhain leis na cáipéisí ach dúirt sé nach raibh aon ghá do bhaill an phobail cóipeanna crua a cheannach mar go raibh siad ar fáil saor in aisce ar an idirlíon.
Ní raibh sé in ann a rá cá mhéad duine a rinne íoslodáíl ar an leagan Gaeilge ó shuíomh idirlín Chomhairle Contae Chorcaí, www.corkcoco.ie.
Dúirt an t-urlabhraí fosta nár iarr an Irish Examiner aon eolas faoi éileamh le haghaidh leaganacha idirlín de na cáipéisi seo.

A spokeperson for Cork Count Council confirmed the cost of the documents but stated that there was no need for the public to buy copies since the document is available free of charge on the internet He was unable to confirm how many people downloaded the Irish version from the Corlk Count Council website. He also said that the Irish Exmainer did not ask for information about demand for the Internet version.

---

This is not the first time the Gaelophobe, Anglophone media have run this kind of story, and blandly ignored the follow up.

Funny, the HSE is spending 42 million euro a day, but little goes on health care as most of the money is paycheck. They under perform woefully and appear to have forgotten the ostensible reason for their existence. Of course, their reason d'etre has little to do with health provision, rather more to do with politics.

How much is the bad infrastructure costing? The Times reported last week that in the last 5 years Ireland's exports fell 30%, while global exports rose 50%. It seems fantastic, but if if true, Ireland is getting poorer, and its not the fault of a minority language.

Irish people always attribute their 'success' to been English speaking -I find this irrational

Tá an Examiner ag dul ar an ionsaí i gcoinne na Gaeilge le tamall anois. Ní mór ár míshásamh a chur in iúl dóibh.

"Irish people always attribute their 'success' to been English speaking -I find this irrational"

I've read that the big economic boom was largely the result of foreign companies setting up operation in Ireland because of three factors

the Irish government making it sweet to do so

the Irish people receiving a first-world education similar in quality and method to the other countries involved

and because, for the most part, those other countries were the US and UK, the fact that the population was already fluent-english-speaking it would provide less hassle in the longrun.



On the subject of documents, I assume one doesn't have to prove Irish citizenship to request most/all of them. I wonder if a movement can't get started among the committed gaeilgeoirí online (and eventually in Ireland) to request these documents as they become available. They wouldn't know if the request was coming from Irishmen abroad or foreigners, and they likely wouldn't even think about it...the clerk would just dust off the form/report/letter, and send it to the requested address.

Just think, if everyone connected to Daltaí (boards, classes and functions), CnaG in the US, and Gaeilge programs at American universities I bet that'd be close to 1,000 requests. Apply that to everything you can get your hands on, and the perceived demand for these documents would rise dramatically. If we could get some in Ireland to do it as well they'd not have a leg to stand on.

Take the one above, for example...how does one request a copy in print? Is there a form online, or an address to write?

One usually has to go into an office which is only open at inconvienient hours, down to a basement with a "Beware of the Leopard" sign on the door.

And then the press would report "American language fanatics demanding documents in Irish but they don't need them".

It's a game, Antaine. These are not real arguments; they are postcolonial self loathing masquerading as concern for value for money.

This "the offical languages act is a waste of money" story surfaces about every three months, and the same half truths and inaccuracies are recycled. A significant part of the language commissioners work is to attempt to work against this.

Antaine,
that's an interesting idea -to swarm them, forcing on-line services to be upgraded.

To make this viable, one would need a list/model of all online services available that can be targeted in that way. Government stuff is often very convoluted; i wonder does anyone even know

Well, Aonghus there is an argument for putting all government forms online and asking people to pay their own printing costs.

But that won't stop the gripes about the cost of translating them to Irish, even though this is a small fraction of the overall cost ( < 3% of the departments and bodies concerned ADMINISTRATIVE budget if I recall correctly).

Ráite cheana.

Independent News & Media print rúbáiste. Mór an trua é go bhfuil leathchuid den tír faoi Stiúir Tony O'Reilly.

You mean requests can't be made in writing?

http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/web/Cork%20County%20Council/Departments/Planning/Devel opment%20Plans

All the documents mentioned on the Web Site can be purchased from:
Planning Policy Unit,
Floor 13,
County Hall,
Cork.

Tel: 021 4285900
Fax: 021 4348153

Email:

Antaine,

Smaoineamh maith, cuir tús le snáithe eile ar an ábhar.
Good idea, sure start another thread on the subject.

Ar aghaidh linn!