The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is coordinating the Irish Language Programme in conjunction with a wide range of key stakeholders. The programme is organised around the following key elements:
Foras na Gaeilge and Údarás na Gaeltachta will play a key role in delivering the Irish Language Programme in conjunction with a wide range of key stakeholders.
Foras na Gaeilge
In addition to funding various activities of the lead organisations under its auspices, Foras na Gaeilge also plans to support a number of initiatives and events as part of the Ireland 2016 programme. These include a series of newspaper and radio columns on identity, with special emphasis on the role of language in identity, and a photographic exhibition, in conjunction with the National Photographic Archive and the National Library of Ireland, documenting the life and times of Irish language communities throughout the island of Ireland between 1985 and 2005. In addition, it is planned to support various commemorative events through Foras na Gaeilge’s Festivals Scheme, Drama Companies Scheme and Summer Camps Scheme.
Údarás na Gaeltachta
Údarás na Gaeltachta will support the Ireland 2016 programme by way of ongoing financial support for a number of Gaeltacht-based organisations which operate under its auspices. Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Muintearas and Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta are each involved in delivering a number of initiatives which form a central part of the overall Irish Language Programme. Among these initiatives will be a Gaeltacht showcase event organised by Ealaín na Gaeltachta who will also play a central role in coordinating a series of multi-disciplinary arts projects by Irish language artists with Easter 1916 as the key theme. These events/exhibitions will be hosted in suitable arts facilities during 2016, both within the Gaeltacht and nationally. Muintearas will play a central role in organising the provision of a School Diary and Proclamation Package to primary schools to mark the Ireland 2016 programme. Gaeltacht pre-schools which operate under the auspices of Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta will be participating in Proclamation Day which is being coordinated by the Department of Education and Skills and will take place in all educational institutions on 15 March 2016.
The key elements of the Irish Language Programme are outlined below.
High Profile Events
The following high profile events will be delivered as part of the Irish Language Programme.
National Concert Hall event
A concert, showcasing the leading exponents of Irish language music, song and dance, will be held in the National Concert Hall during Easter Week 2016. This will be one of the seven concerts to be held in the National Concert Hall on consecutive nights over Easter Week as part of the Ireland 2016 programme.
Gaeltacht Showcase
A production of Irish language storytelling, music, song and dance Éire 2016: Binn agus Beo will undertake a tour of the Gaeltacht. The presentation will be a dynamic stage production, celebrating the unique and rich culture of the Gaeltacht. It will also include a visual art element. This production will be undertaken by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, which is jointly funded by Údarás na Gaeltachta and the Arts Council.
Rave-lóid 2016 (Revolution 2016)
Rave-lóid 2016 will consist of an entertainment festival during summer 2016. This outdoor festival will have at its heart a celebration of the Irish language as a unique element of our cultural identity. It will present the language in a modern context which will underpin the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. Glór na nGael will organise this festival which will showcase a range of indigeneous Irish music genres, including traditional, rock and blues music.
Slógadh na nÓg 2016 (Young People's Assembly 2016)
Slógadh na nÓg will be organised on a regional basis in Gaeltacht areas during summer 2016. These events will be targeted at young people, including those attending summer colleges in the Gaeltacht. Slógadh na nÓg will involve a programme of Irish language activities, including sport, music, drama and debate, centred around the Ireland 2016 programme.
Rith 2016
Rith 2016 will take place during March 2016. Rith is an all-island festival which promotes the use and the image of the Irish language by way of a relay run. Rith will be visiting all 32 counties in 2016 for the first time. It is envisaged that around 30,000 people will take part, including schools, Irish language community groups, sports clubs, etc. Rith is organised by Rith Teo., Conradh na Gaeilge and Glór na nGael.
Proclamation Day 2016
As part of the education programme being coordinated by the Department of Education and Skills for Ireland 2016, Proclamation Day will take place in all educational institutions on 15 March 2016. This will encompass pre-schools, primary and post-primary schools, further and higher education institutions, including those facilities operating through Irish in the Gaeltacht and outside the Gaeltacht.
As part of the Ireland 2016 programme, separate commemoration days will be organised during summer 2016 in summer colleges, summer camps and festivals which are organised through Irish.
Media Partnerships
Broadcasting Ireland 2016
Media partnerships will be developed with a view to maximising audience awareness of and participation in the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. Coverage of the major commemoration events, included in the ceremonial strand, will be broadcast with bilingual commentary by RTÉ. A range of landmark programming in Irish, focusing on 1916 and its legacy, will be broadcast on RTÉ, TG4 and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
Online Learning Resources
With a view to encouraging and facilitating people to engage with the Irish language as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, improved accessibility to a wide range of online learning resources will be developed. This will include the development and provision of an online course, focusing on Irish language and culture, which will be targeted at universities overseas where Irish is taught.
School Diary and Proclamation Package
A school diary in Irish will be distributed to primary schools. It will contain useful historical and reference information regarding the events of 1916. A special Irish language edition of the Proclamation will also be distributed to primary schools.
Digitisation Programme
Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge
Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, an Irish language periodical published between 1882 and 1909 with regular contributions from the leaders of the 1916 Rising, will be digitised and made available online. This initiative is being undertaken by the Royal Irish Academy with funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
An Claidheamh Soluis
A selection of material from Conradh na Gaeilge’s archive will be preserved and presented to the public, with particular emphasis on material from the 1916 period. Included in this programme will be the digitisation of the nationalist newspaper, An Claidheamh Soluis, which was published over a number of years at the beginning of the 20th century by Conradh na Gaeilge.
Irish Folklore Collection
Irish language material from the Schools' Collection which forms a key part of the National Folklore Collection, one of the largest folklore collections in the world, will be digitised. This folklore repository features a collection of folklore and local history compiled in the 1930s by schoolchildren all around the country, including much material in the Irish language. The creation of a digital archive and an online resource at dúchas.ie is being progressed by a partnership between the National Folklore Collection in UCD, Fiontar in DCU and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. As a result, the project is enabling Irish heritage and culture to be disseminated to a worldwide audience.
Public lectures, debates and seminars
A range of public lectures, debates and seminars will be delivered as part of the Irish Language Programme.
Conradh na Gaeilge will deliver a programme to celebrate, commemorate and inspire the public’s interest in the Irish language, its contribution to and its role in Irish society. This programme will include a number of elements, including Plé 2016. This will consist of a specially commissioned series of seminars that will commemorate the importance of the Irish language at home and overseas, as well as the role of Conradh na Gaeilge and the cultural revival as a source of inspiration and re-imagination for the organisers of the 1916 Easter Rising. These events will provoke and facilitate a wider conversation and reflection about the role of the Irish language in contemporary life. The series will start in Dublin in October 2015 at Oireachtas na Gaeilge, the annual Irish language cultural festival, and will conclude in 2016 at Oireachtas na Gaeilge in Killarney, Co. Kerry.
Oireachtas na Gaeilge will commemorate 2016 by organising Parlaimint na nDán (the Artists' Assembly) at Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2015. Artists from various disciplines, including writers, musicians, visual artists, dancers and film-makers who work through the medium of Irish, will convene at Oireachtas na Gaeilge to discuss The Role of the Artist in 1916 and in its Commemoration. The event will include exhibitions, presentations, workshops and discussion. 2 separate lectures will be delivered at Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2016 in Killarney, Co. Kerry and at the visitor centre at Teach an Phiarsaigh in Ros Muc, Co. Galway respectively. A lecture on The Influence of 1916 on the Celtic countries will be delivered at the Pan Celtic Festival in 2016.
Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge (NUIG) will commemorate 1916 by curating a digital exhibition of material relating to 1916 from the RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta archives. Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge (NUIG) will also hold a public symposium on the regional impact of the Easter 1916 Rising with particular emphasis on social, cultural and literary movements in the Gaeltacht.
Cumann Merriman will convene a separate school dedicated to the theme of the Easter 1916 Rising, in addition to their annual summer and winter schools.
Arts Events
Multi-Disciplinary Arts Projects
As part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, Ealaín na Gaeltachta will oversee a series of multi-disciplinary arts projects by Irish language artists with Easter 1916 as the key theme. These events/exhibitions will be hosted in suitable arts facilities during 2016, both within the Gaeltacht and nationally.
Irish Language Theatre
An Taibhdhearc, the national Irish language theatre, will undertake a stage production in Irish relevant to the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.
Primary Schools Drama festivals
An Cumann Scoildrámaíochta will place particular emphasis on the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme as part of its programme of primary schools drama festivals held throughout the country on an annual basis and in which over 10,000 school children participate.
Puppet Show
Fíbín, the Irish language theatre group, will produce and tour an Irish language puppet show based on the theme of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. The show will be tailored to suit the audience in question and will tour a range of Gaeltacht schools, Gaelscoileanna, Irish language colleges and nursing homes in the Gaeltacht.