DUBLIN — The Minister for the Gaeltacht, Éamon Ó Cuív, announced last week that €150,000 (£100,000) of funding to broadcast adverts aimed at encouraging young people to use the Irish language.

The adverts will be aired on all main TV stations including RTÉ1, Network 2, TV3, TG4, E4, MTV, Sky 1, Sky News and Sky Sports.

The move is a continuation of an early initiative and the adverts will be broadcast during September featuring three young celebrities the television presenter Síle Seoige, the Kerry Gaelic footballer Dara Ó Cinnéide, and the Ros na Rún actor Gavin Ó Fearraigh.

The aim of the initiative is to encourage 15 to 25-year-old Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas to continue speaking Irish.

After the initial series of adverts aired in December 2005 and January 2006 a substantial percentage of young people polled gave the initiative a positive welcome.

In addition, and to reinforce the campaign, the adverts are also being sent to all secondary schools in Gaeltacht areas.

Minister Ó Cuív told the Irish media:

“This initiative is in keeping with other recent initiatives introduced to strengthen the use of Irish in the Gaeltacht."

“Gaeltacht summer camps and the provision of language assistants in schools are but two other examples of my department's strategy aimed at encouraging the use of Irish amongst the youth of the Gaeltacht.”

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

03/09/06 ■

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