Irish ‘fada’ to get legal protection – and must appear in all State IT systems and computer keyboards (original) (raw)

It has been a bugbear for generations of Irish language students – but its absence from officialdom has also rightly driven many Irish speakers crazy.

Just ask any Seán or Bríd, or Séamus or Máiréad, trying to do business via the given version of their names if that happens to be in Irish.

The presence or absence of the fada, or accent, can also dramatically alter not just the word’s sound – it can also utterly change its meaning with strange results.

The Fianna Fáil politician who dismissed the issue as “pedantry” learned that to his public cost - finding his organisation’s title could sound like the English word “fail”.

Now the “fada” – or “síneadh fada” to give its longer title – is to get legal protection with an obligation on public bodies to put it into their IT systems and onto all computer keyboards.

The move is among a series of Irish language measures in a new draft law unveiled by Gaeltacht Minister, Jack Chambers.

An intriguing book, published in 2012 and entitled “Our Fada” by Rossa Ó Snodaigh and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill lists up to 1,000 words, or homographs, where the addition or absence of a fada alone causes alarming alterations in meaning.

Examples cited include “craic,” meaning fun, enjoyment, or banter, and “cráic” which means buttocks. Another is this country’s Gaelic title, “Éire”, which deprived of its fada becomes “eire,” meaning burden.

The latest draft of the the “Official Languages Bill” unveiled by the Gaeltacht Minister on Thursday includes a stipulation that 20pc of new recruits by 2030 to the public service must be proficient in Irish.

Mr Chambers has confirmed that 32 amendments, including Opposition amendments, have been accepted for the draft law. This generally imposes obligations on State bodies to uphold the use and status of the Irish language.

Other key amendments include a new requirement that 20pc of all advertising by public bodies be in Irish and a minimum of 5pc of this must appear in Irish-language media.