Boost for Kerry Gaeltacht in Irish promotion grants - O’Donoghue

The increase in the number of successful applications for the Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge is good news for the Kerry Gaeltacht, according to local TD John O’Donoghue. A total of 394 households from the Kerry Gaeltacht applied for the scheme for the 2008/2009 school year, up from 372 the year before.

The latest figures reveal that 242 households received the full grant, 76 received a reduced grant, 75 were refused and 1 case was still being examined.

The objective of the scheme is to encourage the people of the Gaeltacht to promote the use of the Irish language at home and among the general public.

“The Kerry Gaeltacht has performed very well in the latest set of grant announcements under the Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge scheme,” said Deputy O’Donoghue. “The total number of applicants this year is up, as are the number of households who were successful.”

“It shows that there are still a large number of parents in our local Gaeltacht who are interested in raising their families through Irish. I was also encouraged by the number of households who received a reduced grant. This number had dropped considerably during the past year which is a sure sign that a large number of households are progressing and reaching the standard of Irish required.”

“We all know how important it is to our culture and heritage that we protect our language. The Kerry Gaeltacht plays a key role in that and is a very precious resource right on our doorsteps. Programmes like this are designed to help promote the Gaeltacht and I hope the next year will see the local people achieve even more success,” Deputy O’Donoghue concluded.