Ciaran Heaphey to Stand in Local Elections

Ciaran Heaphey will be standing for election as the

éirígí candidate in the Beaumont / Donaghmede area in

the 2014 local elections. Ciaran, who has been active

in community and republican politics for almost twentyfive

years, has been the chairperson of the local éirígí

ciorcal (branch) for the last five years. During that time

éirígí has been to the fore of the fight back against

austerity, cutbacks and the new property and water

taxes in Coolock, Artane and Donaghmede.

Speaking about the elections Ciaran Heaphey said, “I

am honoured to have been selected by éirígí to contest

the local elections in this area. Coolock, Artane and

Donaghmede have a very long and proud republican

tradition. We have spent the last five years working

with the people of the area to build on that history and

create a community of resistance to fight against

unemployment, emigration and austerity.”

“Nothing will change if people keep on voting for the

same tired old establishment political parties. By

running in the local elections we are giving people the

chance to vote for radical change. If we want a better

future for ourselves and for our children then we are

going to have to fight for it. I would encourage anyone

that wants to play a part in the fight for a better, fairer,

socialist Ireland to get in touch with us and come on

board. Together we can send a message to the political

establishment. The people of this community aren‟t

going to be treated as second-class citizens any longer.‟

An Samhradh seo chugainn beidh an deis agat vótáil ar

son fhíorathraithe; vótáil ar son ghuth nua dár bpobal;

ar son pháirtí polaitiúil a throidfidh ar do shon, ar son do

theaglaigh, do phobail agus do thír. I Mí na Bealtaine

2014 beidh Ciarán Heaphey ag seasamh sna toghcháin

mar iarrthóir éirígí i dtoghcheantar Beaumont/

Dhomhnach Míde. Tá Ciarán ina chathaoirleach ar an

gciorcal áitiúil de chuid éirígí le cúig bliana anuas agus

tá sé gníomhach sa pholaitíocht phobail agus

phoblachtánach le beagnach fiche is a cúig bliana

anuas.

Ag caint faoi na toghcháin, dúirt Ciarán, “Is mór an ónóir

é dom a bheith roghnaithe ag éirígí chun seasamh sna

toghcháin áitiúla sa cheantar seo. Tá traidisiún

poblachtánach iontach fada agus bródúil ag an gCúlóg,

Ard Aidhin agus Dhomhnach Míde. Le chéile is féidir

linn teachtaireacht a chur chuig an mbunaíocht

pholaitiúil. Ní ghlacfaidh muintir an phobail seo le

stádas an tsaoránaigh ísealchéime níos mó.”

‘Dípholaitiú na Gaeilge’ – tá sin iontach polaitiúil

‘Dípholaitiú na Gaeilge’ – tá sin iontach polaitiúil

Ar na mallaibh tharla mé ar thaifead ó chomhdháil eagraithe ag an Community Relations Council ar cheisteanna ionannais agus imris. Mar chuid den chomhdháil seo thug an t-iriseoir Fionola Meredith caint ar chúrsaí Gaeilge.

Anois níl a fhios agam an bhfuil mórán baint ag Fionola le saol na Gaeilge, ach mar liobrálach meánaicmeach níorbh aon ábhair iontais é go raibh sí ag caint ar ché chomh maith a bheadh sé dá dtiocfadh linn an teanga a scarúint ón pholaitíocht.

Chuir sin mé ag smaoineamh ar fhairsinge na hargóinte seo le blianta beaga anuas. Beidh cuimhne ag na seanfhondúirí go raibh ‘dípholaitiú’ na teanga iná ábhar mór sna 1980í, ach le teacht na dispeansáide nua agus an Stormont Nua, tá beocht curtha ar ais ann arís. Dá scarófaí an teanga ón pholaitíocht, a deirtear, bheadh spás ann don teanga sna Sé Chontae Nua.

Má chuireann muid béim ar an dea-chaidreamh thar aon ní eile, bhuel ansin beidh spás ann cinnte dóibh siúd ar mhian leo foghlaim faoi logainmneacha agus sloinnte Gaelacha agus oidhreacht na Gaeilge go ginearálta. Spás siombalach, níl fadhb ar bith leis sin. Ach cad é a chiallódh sin dúinn a bhfuil sé de rún againn an teanga a athbheochan mar theanga labhartha i measc an phobail? Cá háit a mbeidh cairde liobrálacha seo na teanga má thosaíonn muid ag cur éileamh ar an stát?

Tá taithí éigin againn air seo cheana féin. Is minic a dhéantar a mhór de na máithe móra Protastúnacha agus Oráisteacha a bhí páirteach i gConradh na Gaeilge sna luathlaethanta, nuair a bunaíodh an eagraíocht i Béal Feirste in 1895. Den chuid ba mhó bhí suim acu sa teanga agus sa chultúr mar iarsma de sheanré a bhí imithe. Níor bhac cuid acu leis an teanga a fhoghlaim fiú.

Ach níorbh fhada go raibh an Conradh i mbun feachtasaíochta go náisiúnta chun an teanga a athbheochan. D’eagraigh siad ranganna oíche agus d’éiligh siad ón stát go mbeadh ról ag an Ghaeilge sa chóras oideachais, agus níos mó. De réir a chéile d’imigh na maithe móra leo, agus d’imigh siad i bhfad roimh 1915 nuair a ghlac an Conradh le rún an Phiarsaigh ar an dlúthcheangal idir Éire a Ghaelú agus Éire a shaoradh.

Tá daoine ann a bhfuil suim acu sa Ghaeilge mar ábhar ársaíochta, a chuireann suim sna logainmneacha nó i bhfinscéalta Fhionn Mhic Chumhaill agus araile. Tá díograiseoirí ann a bhfuil an teanga mar chaitheamh aimsire acu, a chaitheann leis an Ghaeilge mar a chaithfeadh duine le bailiú stampaí nó le mionsamhlacha traenach. Is rud é a féidir leo déanamh leo féin nó i ngrúpaí beaga, agus ní chuireann siad isteach ar éinne.

Cothrom na féinne dóibh, ach dúinn ar ghníomhaithe muid, ní mór dúinn dul i ngleic leis an pholaitíocht. Gan trácht ar cheisteanna móra an díchoilíneachais agus athghabháil na hÉireann, níl easpa ábhar ann ar chóir don phobal s’againn bheith dár n-eagrú féin le dul i mbun feachtasaíochta faoi.

Bíodh sin an bus a bhfuil Coláiste Feirste go fóill ag fanacht air ón Roinn Oideachais. Bíodh sin bunú Ghaelscoileanna nua, agus aitheantas agus maoiniú ceart a fháil don earnáil. Bíodh sin an troid in éadan an Phéindlí dheiridh – an cosc ar Ghaeilge sna cúirteanna. Bíodh sin an cosc ag an Roinn Fhiontraíochta ar chomharthaí dhátheangacha i ndeisceart an Dúin. Bíodh sin an gá le fíorfhorbairt ón Roinn Chultúir – acadamh nó straitéis teanga chun go dtiocfadh le saineolaithe sochtheangeolaíochta dul i mbun pleanáil teanga don chéad uair i stair an stáitín seo.

Níl a fhios agam an mbeidh ár gcairde liobrálacha sásta teacht linn ar an turas seo. Ach bealach amháin nó bealach eile, bímis airdeallach ar na gaistí atá os ár gcomhair. Le déanaí d’fhoilsigh an Coiste um Riaradh an Cheartais (CAJ) tuairisc a dhearbhaíonn go bhfuil an stát agus áisíneachtaí éagsúla ag úsáid an dea-chaidrimh mar ghléas le bac a chur ar dul chun cinn na Gaeilge.

Sna 1980í, b’ionann ‘dípholaitiú’ na Gaeilge agus poblachtánaigh a choinneáil amach – rud a bhí iontach polaitiúil ann féin. Inniu, is ionann ‘dípholaitiú’ na Gaeilge agus an teanga a chomhshamhlú isteach i dtionscadal na Sé Chontae Nua – rud atá chomh polaitiúil céanna.

Níl spás don teanga sa tionscadal seo ach mar shiombal. Ná ligimis dóibh dearmad a dhéanamh áfach gur teanga bheo atá sa Ghaeilge go fóill, teanga a bhfuil sé de rún againn a láidriú agus a leathnú. Chun sin a bhaint amach mar phobal, beidh misneach de dhíth orainn.

‘Depoliticising Irish’ – that’s very political

I recently came across a recording from a conference organised by the community Relations Council on issues of identity and division. As part of this conference the journalist Fionola Meredith gave a talk on Irish language matters.

Now I don’t know if Fionola has much involvement in Irish language life, but as a middle-class liberal it was no surprise that she talked about how great it would be if we could separate the Irish language from politics.

That got me thinking on how widespread this argument has become in recent years. Older people will remember that the ‘depoliticisation’ of the language was a big issue in the 1980s, but with the arrival of the new dispensation and the New Stormont, new life has been put back into it. If the language were separated from politics, it’s said, there would a space for the language in the New Northern Ireland.

If we emphasise good relations over everything else, well then there will certainly be space for those who’d like to learn about Gaelic place names and surnames and Irish language heritage in general. Symbolic space, there’s no problem with that. But what would that mean for those of us who intend to revive Irish as a spoken language in the community? Where will these liberal friends of the language be if we start making demands of the state?

We have some experience of this already. Much is often made of Orange and Protestant grandees who were involved in the Gaelic League in the early days, when the organisation was established in Belfast in 1895. For the most part they were interested in the language and the culture as relics of an era long since gone. Some of them never even bothered trying to learn the language.

But it wasn’t long until the League was campaigning nationally to revive the language. They organised evening classes and demanded of the state that the Irish language be given a place in the education system, and more. Eventually the bigwigs departed, and they went long before 1915 when the League adopted Pearse’s motion on the intrinsic link between Gaelicising Ireland and freeing Ireland.

There are people who are interested in the Irish language in antiquarian terms, who are curious about place names or the myths of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and so on. There are enthusiasts for whom the language is like a hobby, who treat Irish like someone would treat stamp collecting or model trains. It’s something they can do on their own or in small groups, and they don’t annoy anybody.

Fair play to them, but for those activists among us, we need to come to grips with politics. Without going into the major issues of decolonisation or the reconquest of Ireland, there is no shortage of subjects that our community should be organising ourselves to campaign on.

Be it the bus that Coláiste Feirste is still waiting on from the Department of Education. Be it the establishment of new Irish-medium schools, and getting proper recognition and funding for that sector. Be it the fight against the ‘last Penal Law’ – the ban on Irish in the courts. Be it the ban by the Department of Enterprise on bilinguals signs in south Down. Be it the need for real progress from the Department of Culture – an academy or a language strategy so that sociolinguistic experts can set about language planning for the first time in the history of this statelet.

I don’t know if our liberal friends will be willing to come with us on this journey. But one way or another, let’s be aware of the traps laid out in front of us. The Committee of the Administration of Justice (CAJ) recently published a report that confirms the state and certain agencies have been using good relations as a tool to block the development of the Irish language.

In the 1980s, ‘depoliticising’ Irish meant keeping republicans out – something that was very political in itself. Today, ‘depoliticising’ Irish means assimilating the language into the project of the New Northern Ireland – something that is just as political.

There is no space for the language in this project except as a symbol. We can’t let them forget however that the Irish language is still a living language, that it’s a language we mean to strengthen and to propagate. To achieve this as a community, we will need courage.

Article by Ciarán Ó Brolcháin

Bank charges must be reversed

éirígí Dublin Northeast representative Ciaran Heaphey has slammed the latest series of bank charge increases.Responding to the increases, Heaphey said: "These charge increases by AIB, Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland are totally unacceptable. 

The Irish taxpayer was forced by the Dublin Government to bail out the banks to the tune of billions of euro, yet the banks continue to increase their charges.

AIB will add an average of 75% to the charges of personal account holders per month. These bank charge increases will bring further hardship to the already hard-pressed Irish people.”

Fingal County Council Attempts to Dump Sewage Plant in Clonshaugh

The decision by Fingal County Council to locate a massive sewage plant in Clonshaugh has been met with huge anger and frustration by thousands of affected residents in communities in Northeast Dublin. Over 10,000 objections have been made to the construction of this massive plant in Clonshaugh, yet this massive number of objections has been ignored, with virtual no consultation with local communities.

This proposed plant, the same size as Croke Park, will be located within a radius of 1km of over 2,500 homes. It will be second in size, only to the massive plant in Ringsend. The proposed build will have serious consequences for the local environment.

Speaking about the proposed plant, éirígí Dublin Northeast spokesperson Ciaran Heaphey said: ‘’The decision by Fingal County Council to locate this massive plant as close as possible on its boundary with thousands Dublin City Council residents smacks of political cronyism of the highest order. Thousands of residents in Dublin’s Northeast outside of Fingal County Council’s area will be affected by this plant. I’m sure this was the major influencing factor in their decision to locate this plant in Clonshaugh.

“The potential danger this enormous plant has for the local population and environment, are immense. From both an economical and environmental viewpoint, it would make logical sense to have much smaller localised plants built over phased period of time, as capacity requirements increase. This would be the similar approach of many countries in Europe. Yet, here in Dublin Northeast we have the continued failed planning polices based on political cronyism.’’

Heaphey concluded: ''We in éirígí will take a very active role in our communities in fiercely opposing the building of this sewage plant. éirígí intend to work with residents in Dublin Northeast in organizing a campaign of resistance to this plant. With some community spirit and enough people educating, organising and agitating we can defeat the proposed construction of this monster sewage plant.”

Leaflet drop, Kilmore. 18/6/13

Few flicks from Tuesdays leaflet drop in the Kilmore area of Coolock, where are local issue leaflet regarding the Kilbarron Road was distributed to hundreds of homes in the area.

Kilbarron Road residents say no more!

The week beginning on Monday 10 June saw local residents of Kilbarron Road taking part in a protest against the huge volume of congestion and parking in their streets.

The protest was organised by locals of Kilbarron Road because of the amount of cars parked in their cul-de-sac. The majority of these cars parked are from the staff of the nearby Beaumount Hospital. The residents have been forming a human blockade from 6.30am every morning with posters declaring “No Parking Here” making sure the area will be clear and accessible for emergency services and parking for the locals.

Beaumount Hospital offers parking but at a price, the problem the residents of Kilbarron Road have is the shear amount of cars parking in the cul-de-sac. It is hard to get in and out in a case of emergencies the Fire brigade or ambulance for example. Recently in one incident refuse workers refused to go into the cul-de-sac because of the lack of space for their vehicle.

Obviously we can understand the refusal by members of staff to pay for parking, but Kilbarron Road is no longer an option. This issue is something which we in eirigi will keep on supporting over the coming weeks and months.

éirígí Dublin Northeast representative Ciaran Heaphey, who has attended the protest during the week said: “I can understand the residents' anger on this issue. I have seen personally the amount of space taken up in the mornings by the Hospital staff and I believe from what I hear talking to residents it could endanger them if there was an accident or emergency. I was delighted to join the local community and we at éirígí will do whatever we can do highlight this issue.”

Kilbarron Road residents say no more.

On Tuesday 11 June, éirígí Dublin Northeast activists took part in the second day of a community organised protest on the Kilbarron Road, Coolock.

The protest was organised by the locals of the Kilbarron Road because of the amount of cars parked in their cul-de-sac. The majority of these cars parked are from the staff of nearby Beaumount Hospital. The residents formed a human blockade at 6.30am with posters declaring “No Parking Here” making sure the area was clear and accessible for emergency services and parking for the locals.

Beaumount Hospital offers parking but at a price, the problem the residents have is the shear amount of cars parking in the cul-de-sac it is hard to get in and out in a case of emergencies. Recently in one incident refuse workers refused to go into the cul-de-sac because of the lack of space for their vehicle.

Obviously we can understand the refusal by members of staff to pay for parking but parking off the Kilbarron Road is no longer an option and the residents have vowed to stop it because it has now reached dangerous levels.

Éirígí Dublin Northeast representative Ciaran Heaphey, who attended the protest said: ''I can understand the residents' anger on this issue. I have seen personally the amount of space taken up in the mornings by the Hospital staff and I believe it could endanger locals if there was an accident or emergency. I was delighted to join the local community and we in éirígí will continue to highlight the issue.''