132-722: The Socialist Party ( Irish : Páirtí Sóisialach ) is a political party in Ireland , active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland . Internationally, it was affiliated to the Trotskyist International Socialist Alternative (previously the Committee for a Workers International ) until 2024. The party has been involved in various populist campaigns including the Anti-Bin Tax Campaign and
264-540: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
396-527: A bailout and rejected claims by a senior ECB figure that the bank warned Ireland in mid-2010 of the dangers it faced. He has also accused members of the ECB executives of briefing against Ireland and of "betrayal". Lenihan criticised some of the 17 governing board members of the bank for the "damaging" manner in which they had briefed some media about Ireland. He said, "On the betrayal issue, I did feel that some bank governors should not be speaking out of turn and that only
528-697: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
660-560: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
792-483: A budget deficit of 32% of GDP. This led in turn to questions about the value of Irish government bonds, and they were re-rated to AA− on 6 October. From 21 November negotiations started with teams from the ECB and the IMF, resulting in an agreement on 28 November. The suddenness of the €85 billion bailout deal led to worries that Irish sovereignty had been lost, and that the Irish economy might not grow fast enough to afford
924-472: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
1056-541: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
1188-513: A departure in the media that I would welcome. I'm really shocked that a story like that could be broadcast at Christmas". However, the journalist in question who made the disclosure, Ursula Halligan , received support for report from many publications and journalists, including the political bi-weekly Village magazine, Ger Colleran (then editor of the Irish Daily Star ), The Irish Times and The Phoenix magazine, who stated that "If
1320-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
1452-480: A graphic description of his feelings when the bailout talks were concluded. "I've a very vivid memory of going to Brussels on the final Monday to sign the agreement and being on my own at the airport and looking at the snow gradually thawing and thinking to myself, this is terrible. No Irish Minister has ever had to do this before." After a visit by Lenihan to David McWilliams 's house, McWilliams publicly claimed that Lenihan had eaten large doses of raw garlic during
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#17328526340561584-414: A location for funding of banking operations, " said Cowen. He previously said that the government's objective in restructuring the banks through NAMA was to " generate more access to credit for Irish business at this critical time ". In September 2009, Lenihan expressed a similar view, saying it would lead to more lending for business and households. Cowen was responding to reports published on 8 February that
1716-586: A loss of 75% in the number of Fianna Fáil deputies returned to parliament in the election and the complete loss of all seats by their Green Party coalition partner. In 2009 and 2010, the Financial Times annual survey of the 19 Eurogroup finance ministers, ranked by European economists , named Brian Lenihan as the Eurozone's worst Finance Minister. The March 2011 issue of Vanity Fair described Lenihan as "tricky," for allegedly manipulating his meetings with
1848-574: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
1980-554: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
2112-611: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
2244-428: A report of the finance minister facing a serious illness while simultaneously grappling with the biggest financial crisis in the history of the state is not in the public interest, then nothing is". In a personal statement on 4 January 2010, detailing the precise nature of his illness, Lenihan said he underwent tests prior to Christmas which identified a blockage at the entrance to his pancreas . He said cancerous tissue
2376-538: A result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022 was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within
2508-839: A second seat for the party in the Dublin North constituency. The Anti-Bin Tax Campaign came about at this time. On 19 September 2003, Higgins and Daly were sent to Mountjoy Prison for a month after refusing to abide by a High Court injunction relating to the blockading of bin lorries. At the 2004 local elections , the Socialist Party gained two council seats, with Mick Murphy being elected to South Dublin County Council and Mick Barry being elected to Cork City Council . The party also retained their two previous seats (held by Daly and Ruth Coppinger ) on Fingal County Council . At
2640-537: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
2772-641: A youth wing. Militant Labour was renamed the Socialist Party in 1996, and came to wider attention among the general public when Joe Higgins polled just 252 votes behind victor Brian Lenihan Jnr in the Dublin-West by-election of that same year. In the general election of the following year , Higgins was elected to Dáil Éireann for the first time. At the 2002 general election , Joe Higgins retained his Dublin West seat in Dáil Éireann. Clare Daly narrowly missed out on gaining
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#17328526340562904-584: Is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as
3036-448: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
3168-472: Is also described as "the last remaining Irish politician anywhere near power whose mere appearance does not cause people on the streets of Dublin to explode with either scorn or laughter" because of his perceived innocence and his well-publicised illness. Lenihan barely held onto his seat in the 2011 general election. He was declared elected on the fifth count without reaching the quota with his first preference vote declining from 32.7% in 2007 to just 15.2%. He
3300-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
3432-567: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
3564-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
3696-659: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
3828-521: The 2016 general election Murphy and Coppinger were re-elected in Dublin South-West and Dublin West, respectively, and Barry was elected in Cork North-Central , all of them running as Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit members. For the 2016 Assembly Election , the Socialist Party in Northern Ireland supported Cross-Community Labour Alternative and critically called for a vote for
3960-569: The Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes . Members of the party were jailed for their part in the former, while members have been arrested for their role in the latter. It had a seat in the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014. In 2015, the party received state funding of €132,000. From 2014, the party's election candidates in the Republic did not stand for election directly on the Socialist Party platform, but have instead run as candidates of
4092-621: The European election held on the same day , Joe Higgins received 23,218 (5.5%) votes in the Dublin constituency , but did not win a seat. Councillor Mick Murphy was responsible for bringing the GAMA construction scandal to light in October 2004. This involved a group of Turkish workers being brought to Ireland by GAMA, a Turkish construction company. They were illegally underpaid and forced to work hours in breach of
Socialist Party (Ireland) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4224-518: The Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney . He addressed a United Nations committee on children's rights in September 2006. On 16 October 2006, Lenihan announced that legislation increasing the age of criminal responsibility by five years from 7 to 12 would come into law immediately. Before leaving office in 2007, he announced several new items, including a review of pedophilia and an increase in
4356-569: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
4488-797: The Socialist Party of England and Wales . In the 2020 general election , Mick Barry was re-elected in Cork North-Central but Ruth Coppinger lost her seat in Dublin West. In July 2024, the Socialist Party voted to disaffiliate from the International Socialist Alternative . According to its website, the Socialist Party "stands for the socialist alternative to the dictatorship of the markets – namely real democracy whereby ordinary people take centre stage in running society, with democratic public ownership of banks, of key sectors of
4620-622: The Treaty of Lisbon . At the 2009 European and local elections, Joe Higgins won a seat in the Dublin constituency with 50,510 (12.4%) first preference votes, as well as gaining a seat in the Castleknock local electoral area of Fingal County Council . The party held its seats on Fingal County and Cork City Council (Ruth Coppinger and Mick Barry respectively), while gaining one seat each on Balbriggan Town Council and Drogheda Borough Council. However,
4752-466: The " IMF (Seelig) do not believe that Nama will result in a significant increase in bank lending in Ireland ". The Government has maintained that NAMA's purchase of bad loans from the banks with State bonds would increase the flow of credit in the economy since the plan was unveiled in April 2009. Speaking at the publication of the NAMA legislation in September 2009, Lenihan said it would " strengthen and improve "
4884-611: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
5016-769: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
5148-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
5280-563: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
5412-510: The Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA), now Solidarity , which was a registered party in its own right between 2014 and 2015 and which continues to contest elections as part of People Before Profit–Solidarity (PBP–S). Socialist Party members Ruth Coppinger , Mick Barry and former member Paul Murphy , were elected in this way as TDs in the 32nd Dáil. Similarly, in 2016 the Socialist Party in Northern Ireland instead fielded candidates in
Socialist Party (Ireland) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5544-797: The Committee for a Workers International in 1974. After its expulsion from Labour, they formed Militant Labour , which became the Socialist Party in 1996. Militant Tendency in Ireland began in 1969 when Paul Jones, an Irish student who had joined Militant in Britain while he was a student in London, returned to Derry and began organising there, and also held meetings in Dublin . Peter Hadden , had similarly joined Militant when attending Sussex University in England and upon returning to Northern Ireland in 1971, began organising Militant there. The group grew on both sides of
5676-477: The Committee for a Workers' International at the time. In 1996 the party merged fully with the Labour and Trade Union Group of Northern Ireland and changed its name to the Socialist Party. The Socialist Party has built some electoral support in the Republic of Ireland . It found it harder to gain an electoral foothold in Northern Ireland, but it has maintained a minor presence in the trade union movement there, as well as
5808-474: The Constitution . He served in this position until 2002 when he was appointed Minister of State for Children . Lenihan was often deployed as a representative of government on topical issues or television shows, and was known for giving his personal opinion on some matters. He was involved in a dispute with the Labour Party over its leader Pat Rabbitte 's desire for a presidential election in 2004; Lenihan said
5940-615: The Cross Community Labour Alternative. In 2022, however, the party ran once again in the North as the Socialist Party. The party was formed by former members of the Labour Party , collectively known as the Militant Tendency , who were expelled in 1989 having been accused of Trotskyist entryism . The Irish Militant Tendency was aligned with Militant tendency in Britain, with both groups having been founding members of
6072-532: The Department of Education and Science , with special responsibility for children . In this capacity, Lenihan announced a new news television programme targeting young people, dealt with matters relating to the internet and pedophilia , announced changes to Ireland's adoption laws and increased the numbers of gardaí employed in the Central Vetting Unit which assesses childcare workers. In 2005, Lenihan
6204-480: The EU Working Time Directive. Murphy discovered the workers living on the building site where they were employed. After contacting the local council, GAMA and trade union officials and remaining unenlightened, Murphy wrote a leaflet in English, had it translated into Turkish "mainly to say that we had no problem with them being here, and saying what GAMA had said", then threw it over the hoarding surrounding
6336-463: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
6468-497: The Exchequer to the risk of very significant costs are not regarded as part of the toolkit for successful crisis management and resolution." The scope of the guarantee - whether it could, or should, have been limited or broad - was examined by an Oireachtas committee in 2010. By late 2010, the costs were so high that the government sought help from the ECB and IMF (see below). By mid-2011
6600-735: The FBU's split from the British Labour Party in 2004, as well as influence in NIPSA with members in the NIPSA Broad Left faction. The Socialist Party is Eurosceptic and supported Brexit, considering the EU to be a "club of bosses and bankers" and rejecting reform attempts due to there being "almost no mechanisms of democratic accountability" in the EU. The Socialist Party opposes sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland between Protestants and Catholics and seeks to bring working class unity to both sides of
6732-539: The IMF had told Lenihan in April 2009 that the NAMA would not lead to a significant increase in lending by the banks. The comments, which appear in internal Department of Finance documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, were made by senior IMF official Steven Seelig who will join the board of NAMA in May 2010. Minutes of a private meeting at the department between Lenihan and IMF officials on 29 April 2009 last state that
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#17328526340566864-536: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
6996-501: The Labour Party throughout the 1970s and 1980s, attempting to win the party towards socialism, and briefly controlled Labour Youth from 1983 to 1986. People associated with it include Dermot Connolly, Clare Daly , Finn Geaney, Joe Higgins and John Throne. In the late 1980s, a number of known members were expelled from Labour. In 1989 they established an independent party, adopting the title Militant Labour—also used by other sections of
7128-725: The Minister described their return as "most unhelpful to the peace process". Lenihan spoke at the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis in Killarney on 22 October 2005, and at the Ardfheis in Citywest on 24 March 2007. Appearing on The Week in Politics in the wake of unfounded allegations published by a number of Sunday newspapers on Liam Lawlor 's death in October 2005, Lenihan said Lawlor's legacy would be
7260-420: The People Before Profit as the two parties did not stand candidates in the same constituencies. In 2019, divisions in the party resulting from a split in the Committee for a Workers' International led to Paul Murphy TD leaving to form RISE . The split separately led to the formation of Militant Left, which aligned with the Committee for a Workers' International (Refounded), a body predominantly supported by
7392-424: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
7524-464: The Socialist Party believes that Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales should merge and form a socialist federation, which should aspire to be part of a Socialist Federation of Europe. The Phoenix has opined that the Socialist Party's position is a "bizarre fusion of Trotskyism and British Unionism " that "articulates a unionist outlook dressed in socialist rhetoric". The Socialist Party is pro-choice. Their members staged an 'abortion pill bus' during
7656-398: The ULA in January 2013. Socialist Party members contested the 2014 local elections as part of the Anti-Austerity Alliance . The party gained seats on Limerick and Cork City Councils , making it "a national rather than Dublin-centric alliance". The Dublin West by-election of the same day returned Ruth Coppinger to Dáil Éireann, giving Dublin West two Socialist Party TDs. Paul Murphy
7788-441: The age of 12, attending the local Marist Brothers primary school. He was then educated at Belvedere College , where he was school captain, then at Trinity College Dublin where he obtained an LL.B. (first class). He was elected a foundation scholar of the college in 1979. While in Trinity, he was Treasurer of the College Historical Society . Lenihan was later awarded an LL.M. (first class) at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and
7920-486: The bailout costs. Others complained that the new regime would increase taxes and reduce social welfare payments at a time of recession. The deal became a part of the European sovereign debt crisis debate. As a result of the bailout required following Lenihan's renewed bank guarantee, the government's coalition partner, the Green Party , called for an early election and withdrew from the government on 23 January 2011. The ensuing 2011 general election , on 25 February, led to
8052-431: The banks' debts were downgraded to junk status . Lenihan delivered the 2009 Budget on 14 October 2008 – the budget had been called early due to the worsening economic conditions. The controversial measure of removing Medical Cards from most over-70-year-olds (by means testing) caused a massive public outcry. This caused a backlash against the government and backbench unease; one Fianna Fáil TD, Joe Behan , left
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#17328526340568184-577: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
8316-432: The border and practiced entrism in both the Northern Ireland Labour Party and the Labour Party in the Irish Republic. In 1977, they were expelled from the NILP and formed the Labour and Trade Union Group to contest elections in the north. The party was formally founded in the south in 1972 as a tendency within the Irish Labour Party , grouped around the newsletter Militant Irish Monthly . The tendency organised within
8448-453: The border. They argue that capitalism is incapable of overcoming sectarianism. The Socialist Party take a critical view of the Good Friday Agreement and other subsequent initiatives, claiming it further entrenches and institutionalises sectarianism and doesn't work towards solving the fundamental causes of the conflict. They therefore oppose a border poll and believe calling one would further polarise Catholic and Protestant communities. Instead,
8580-438: The call was restarted, with the clients now muted. On 2 October 2010, Lenihan denied that he was heckled, with his spokesperson stating: "A number of media organisations were on the call. None offered a similar analysis to the Telegraph, which was not on the call. At the end of the call, spreads on Irish bonds narrowed which indicated that the 200 investors on the call were reassured." The Department of Finance has stated that
8712-562: The campaign to repeal the 8th, where they travelled across Ireland distributing abortion pills. The elected representatives of the Socialist Party observe a pay cap, donating the portion of their salaries that exceed the "average industrial wage" to the party and other leftist causes. The Socialist Party has contested European elections in the Republic of Ireland but not in Northern Ireland. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ),
8844-437: The claim was true. Public service broadcaster RTÉ stated that Lenihan had contracted what it described as "a serious condition". The Government Press Secretary stated that the health of a politician is a private affair. The "unwarranted intrusion" by TV3 was met with disapproval – even by opposition politicians; Labour Party deputy leader and Finance Spokesperson Joan Burton offered her condolences: "It's certainly not
8976-408: The death of his father. Noel Dempsey , who was Fianna Fáil's Director of Elections in the contest, did not expect his party to hold the seat. Lenihan topped the poll, with 252 more first-preference votes than Joe Higgins of Militant Labour , and was elected on the 11th count. Following his re-election at the 1997 general election Lenihan became Chairman of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on
9108-408: The detailed examination of any of the key loans by NAMA. Minister Lenihan has denied that the Government got its sums wrong on NAMA. The original business plan estimated a profit of €4.8bn based on a rise in assets value of 10%. Today's revised figures say that if they recover the full value of the loans plus 10% it will result in a profit of €3.9bn. NAMA chairman Frank Daly said the plan confirmed that
9240-399: The economy and industry, and a democratic plan of the economy to provide for the needs of people". It opposes the so-called " Social Partnership " deals and those in the trade union movement who advocate them, considering the agreements detrimental to the well-being of workers. It also holds influence in the Northern Irish branch of the FBU , where its members played a key role in encouraging
9372-664: The education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on the number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to the 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
9504-468: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
9636-545: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
9768-438: The five institutions covered by NAMA had not disclosed or had been unaware of the extent of the financial crisis afflicting their borrowers. He said the banks had shown 'remarkable generosity' towards their borrowers, adding that NAMA had no intention of maintaining that approach. 'To say the least we are extremely disappointed and disturbed to find that, only months after being led to believe that 40% of loans were income producing,
9900-404: The funding positions of the banks " so that they can lend to viable businesses and households ". The IMF estimated in their published report the domestic banks would face losses of up to €35 billion, though the department pointed out this would be partly funded from operating profits and provisions already taken against some loan losses. In July 2010, after a revised business plan was published it
10032-555: The future to have confidence in us". The emergency budget also saw the announcement of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), designed to house banking assets. The Cabinet approved 150 pages of draft legislation outlined by Lenihan at a meeting in late July 2009; it was published later that week. In September 2009, Lenihan announced €54 billion would be given by NAMA to Irish banks in exchange for an estimated €77 billion in loans. The legislation enacting NAMA
10164-545: The graduation of newly trained members of the Garda Síochána Reserve on 16 June 2007. As Minister for Justice, Lenihan was involved in several high-profile deportation cases. Considered a "close ally" of Brian Cowen , Lenihan was promoted to the office of Minister for Finance , following the election of Cowen as Taoiseach on 7 May 2008. His 2006 intervention to assist with the development of emergency legislation when it emerged rapists were being freed from jail
10296-439: The intention of recapitalising them to enable them to continue to lend into the Irish economy. The decision was highly contentious and required a sharp recovery of the world economy that did not occur, but the guarantees were renewed in 2009, in 2010, and in 2011. In February 2008, an Irish Department of Finance presentation stated that: ".. any requirement to provide open-ended/legally binding State guarantees which would expose
10428-698: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
10560-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
10692-472: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
10824-458: The line. As the 200–500 investors realised within 2 minutes their lines were not muted, many began to heckle Lenihan. Some traders made what the Telegraph described as "chimp sounds", while another cried out "dive, dive". Another was heard saying "short Ireland" before adding "why not short Citi too?". Another investor on the line stated "this is the worst conference call ever". After 20 minutes,
10956-577: The medical card. On 7 April 2009, Lenihan delivered an emergency budget overriding the measures previously announced, amounting to a further €3.25bn increases in taxes and reductions in spending programmes in the current year, as well as corresponding fiscal changes to future years. Explaining the purpose of the budget changes before the Dáil , he said: "We must stabilise our public finances. Until we show that we can put our own house in order, we cannot expect those who have invested here and who might invest here in
11088-434: The members of the Dáil so that when they emerge, they are the ones who must announce the bad news about the latest budget cuts and tax hikes to the media (and thus bear the brunt of the anger and blame for the austerity measures). Lenihan's role in post-collapse Ireland is likened in one particularly lurid passage as "normalising a freak show" and attempting to assure the Irish that they didn't all just see what they saw. Yet, he
11220-563: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
11352-443: The morning at his home in west Dublin. He was survived by his wife, their two children, his mother, three brothers and one sister. His death received attention from the international media. President Mary McAleese said she was saddened by the death of "such a young and talented public servant". Thousands of people queued to sign books of condolence nationwide, with the figure soon reaching 10,000 while thousands of others clicked
11484-771: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
11616-413: The national parliament. Higgins resigned his European Parliament seat, and Paul Murphy was selected by the party to replace him. Following the death of Brian Lenihan Jnr , the Socialist Party contested the 2011 Dublin West by-election , with its candidate Ruth Coppinger coming in third. The Socialist Party also called for a referendum on the December 2011 EU deal, which it opposed. In 2012, legal advice
11748-463: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
11880-639: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
12012-590: The number of judges and other officials working with criminal children. He received criticism from a number of nurses in a disagreement over their working hours at another conference of the Irish Nurses Organisation on 10 May 2007. After the 2007 general election , Fianna Fáil formed a new coalition government under Taoiseach Bertie Ahern with the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats , and
12144-498: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
12276-422: The party in protest. Public outcry meant the government had to twice revise the budget in an attempt to satisfy the pensioners and unions, and indeed the backbenchers. Lenihan was not present at the press conference, which included Brian Cowen, John Gormley and Mary Harney, to announce the removal of minimum wage employees from the 1 per cent income levy and a promise that 95 per cent of senior citizens would keep
12408-629: The party lost Mick Murphy , its only councillor on South Dublin County Council . At the 2011 general election the Socialist Party returned two TDs to Dáil Éireann: Clare Daly was elected for the Dublin North constituency, while Joe Higgins regained his seat in Dublin West. The Socialist Party contested this election as part of the United Left Alliance (ULA), an alliance of far-left parties which included both People Before Profit (PBP) and Workers and Unemployed Action Group (WUAG), as well as independent activists. The Alliance won five seats in
12540-591: The party was "turning the presidency into a political football". He defended the government again in February 2005, this time against Sinn Féin who he suggested were "milking the peace process for political gain". He would later suggest his preference for becoming the Opposition if the alternative was to enter government with Sinn Féin. When three Irishmen fled convictions on terrorism charges they had received in Colombia ,
12672-539: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
12804-469: The president should speak for the bank." The position of the ECB on Ireland's seeking of assistance was different from that of the European Commission , said Lenihan. "I don't think the commission were anxious to bounce member states into a programme. "That was my strong impression from my discussions with Commissioner Rehn." he said, adding that "the ECB clearly subscribed to a different view." He gave
12936-446: The radio phone-in programme Liveline , presented by Joe Duffy , led to mass concerns that Ireland's banking system was on the verge of collapse. The Minister warned in an interview the following day with Economics Editor for RTÉ George Lee that the public need not react "on the basis of unfounded allegations made on radio programmes". On 29 September, Lenihan agreed to issue a broad state guarantee of Irish banks for one year, with
13068-480: The real figure is actually 25%. On 9 December 2009, the government budget for 2010 was delivered. Referred to at home and abroad in such terms as "the harshest budget in decades", "the most austere Budget in the history of the State" and "what can only be described as one of the toughest Budgets in the history of the State", it was marked by pay cuts for the public sector , and social welfare cuts. Also announced at
13200-487: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
13332-519: The reports were inaccurate, stating: "The Minister was not interrupted as reported by the Telegraph. There was no heckling – indeed, participants congratulated the Minister and the NTMA." As the Irish banks were unable to raise fresh capital in the bond markets on the expiry of the one-year bank guarantee (see above), in September 2010 the government needed to provide them with further billions, amounting to
13464-432: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
13596-625: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
13728-449: The same time was €70 million for those impacted by floods which had affected parts of the country. Global investors approved the measures introduced by Lenihan, with Irish government bonds receiving a boost following the Budget. On 1 October 2010, Lenihan was in a telephone conference with Citigroup when due to a mistake made by Citigroup, the bank's clients were all able to be heard on
13860-529: The setting up of a Press Council to deal with such matters as they arose in future and was also among the politicians who paid tribute to Lawlor in Dáil Éireann. When other Fianna Fáil ministers were silent, Lenihan stressed as "unthinkable" the acceptance of illegal payments by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Manchester , a comment highlighted positively by Pat Rabbitte in Dáil Éireann following Ahern's public apology in October 2006. Lenihan denied Brian Cowen
13992-401: The site. Murphy brought it to the attention of his party colleague Joe Higgins , who was then a TD for Dublin West , and Higgins raised the matter in Dáil Éireann on 8 February 2005, bringing public awareness to the workers' plight. The exploitation included migrant Turkish construction workers bring employed on state projects, being paid as little as €2.20 an hour (the minimum wage in Ireland
14124-452: The story was a "manufactured controversy", part of a "vindictive smear campaign by Independent Newspapers ", which were owned by billionaire Denis O'Brien . Clare Daly resigned from the Socialist Party in August 2012, following a dispute over her support of Independent TD Mick Wallace , whom the party had called on to resign after the revelation of tax irregularities. The Socialist Party left
14256-412: The support of Independent TDs . Lenihan was appointed as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform , the only Fianna Fáil TD to be promoted to the cabinet. Lenihan's father had held the post from 1964 to 1968, making them the only father-son pair to have held that office. Lenihan stated that a referendum on children's rights would take place. His first function as Minister for Justice was to attend
14388-705: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
14520-490: The visit and that Lenihan had said he had developed the habit since becoming Minister for Finance. An unnamed source described in the Irish Examiner as "close to Mr Lenihan" subsequently said: "It's true he does like eating garlic, but he doesn't chew it like gum – it's good for the blood, apparently". Then Minister of State Pat Carey said on the radio at the time that Lenihan "constantly chew[ed] garlic". Lenihan
14652-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
14784-421: Was "setting a bad example" following a 2007 Hot Press interview in which the future Taoiseach admitted smoking cannabis in his student past. He was involved in the negotiations between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party to form a government in 2007 . In 2002, Lenihan was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children , at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and at
14916-523: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
15048-567: Was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2007 to 2008 and Minister of State for Children from 2002 to 2007. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency from 1996 until his death in 2011. Born in Dublin in 1959, Lenihan grew up in Athlone , County Westmeath until
15180-799: Was called to the Irish Bar by the Honorable Society of King's Inns . He began lecturing law at Trinity College Dublin in 1984 and in the same year was called to the Irish Bar. From 1992 to 1995, he was a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal and the Garda Síochána Complaints Appeal Board , and in 1997 he became a Senior Counsel . Lenihan married Circuit Court judge Patricia Ryan in 1997; and they had two children. In December 2009, he
15312-422: Was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer . Lenihan is a member of an Irish political family. His father Brian Lenihan Snr , first elected in 1957, was a cabinet Minister for over twenty-five years, Tánaiste , MEP , and a candidate for president in the 1990 election . His grandfather was Patrick Lenihan , who followed his son into the Dáil, serving as a TD from 1965 until 1970. Lenihan's aunt Mary O'Rourke
15444-643: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
15576-538: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Brian Lenihan Jnr Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011)
15708-480: Was first elected as a TD in 1982, served for a time in the Senate, and is also a former cabinet minister. His brother Conor was a TD from 1997 to 2011 and served as a Minister of State . Despite these facts, Lenihan said that he resented any implication that he was a member of the political establishment. Lenihan first held political office in 1996 when he was asked to stand in the Dublin West by-election caused by
15840-487: Was hospitalised on 16 December 2009, complaining of insomnia and a possible hernia . Surgery, described as "a minor procedure that was brought forward", was performed. Leader of the Opposition Enda Kenny wished him well in a speech. On 26 December 2009, TV3 reported that Lenihan had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer . The Sunday Times then reported that "a number of authoritative sources" had said
15972-405: Was identified in the material that had caused the blockage, and he intended to begin treatment for cancer. Having discussed the matter with his doctors and the Taoiseach, he said he will continue on in the finance portfolio and "to fulfil the essential functions of my office". Lenihan died on 10 June 2011, at the age of 52, from pancreatic cancer. It was reported that he died in the early hours of
16104-465: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
16236-795: Was passed in Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann before being signed by President Mary McAleese during November 2009. Lenihan identified nine prospective NAMA board members on 22 December 2009. In February 2010, Cowen defended his claim that NAMA would increase the supply of credit into the economy, despite the International Monetary Fund (IMF) saying it would not lead to any significant increase. " People should contemplate what level of credit accessibility we'd have in this economy without NAMA, " he said. " It's not just sufficient in itself obviously for credit flow, it's certainly an important and necessary part of restructuring our banking system, of that there's no doubt, in terms of improving as
16368-526: Was permitted to attend cabinet meetings, although not being a member of the government. He was involved in a proposal to outlaw domestic spanking in June 2005. On 25 October 2005, representing the government, he expressed upset at the "repeated failure and gross dereliction of duties" highlighted in the Ferns Report . He spoke at the Irish Nurses Organisation conference in May 2006 in place of
16500-467: Was revealed that it is now predicting a possible profit of €1bn, with the possibility of losses of up to €800m, after an initial projection of more than €4bn in profit. The plan published today updates and revises the interim business plan published in October of last year which was prepared on the basis of information supplied at that time by the five participating institutions (Anglo Irish Bank, AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS and Irish Nationwide) and in advance of
16632-499: Was seen as a major factor in his promotion to the Department of Finance. Lenihan's time as Minister for Finance was dominated by the financial and banking crises which faced Ireland in the late 2000s. He unveiled three government budgets within the space of fourteen months, nationalised Anglo Irish Bank and unveiled the National Asset Management Agency or NAMA. On 18 September 2008, Lenihan issued an emergency phone call to Director-General of RTÉ Cathal Goan after an edition of
16764-412: Was sought when it emerged that the expenses given to Higgins and Daly as TDs may have been used for travel outside their constituencies and journeys to the Dáil. Public expenditure minister Brendan Howlin subsequently confirmed that TDs were, in fact, entitled to claim expenses for travel outside their constituencies and that Daly and Higgins were guilty of no wrongdoing. The Socialist Party and ULA said
16896-678: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
17028-478: Was the only Fianna Fáil TD, out of 47 outgoing TDs in Dublin constituencies, returned in the Dublin region. He was the deputy leader of Fianna Fáil and party Spokesperson for Finance until his death. Lenihan contested the 2011 Fianna Fáil leadership election on 26 January 2011, losing to Micheál Martin . In an April 2011 interview, Lenihan claimed the European Central Bank forced Ireland into taking
17160-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
17292-793: Was unsuccessful in retaining the Socialist Party's European seat at this time but was elected to Dáil Éireann that October after a surprise victory in the Dublin South-West by-election , which the Sinn Féin candidate had been favourite to win. The party altered its registered name in 2014 to Stop the Water Tax – Socialist Party. In 2015, water charge protestors, including party elected representatives Paul Murphy , Kieran Mahon and Mick Murphy, were arrested. The arrests led to accusations of "political policing" and sparked minor solidarity protests across Europe, including in London , Berlin , Vienna and Stockholm . In
17424-431: Was €7.00) while being forced to work up to 80 hours per week. This led to a strike by immigrant workers in Ireland. The exploited workers each won tens of thousand of euro worth of unpaid wages and overtime. At the 2007 general election , Joe Higgins lost his Dublin West seat and the Socialist Party was left without a TD for the first time since 1997. The Party campaigned for a "no" vote the 2008 and 2009 referendums on
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