IMR Article: Forces to be Reckoned With – The Irish Language Today

IMr Article

I’m uploading an article I wrote for the Irish Marxist Review in March. It’s a general overview of questions facing the Irish language from a Marxist point of view. It’s worth checking out the IMR itself – it has plenty of good things in it.

Forces to be Reckoned With: The Irish Language Today PDF

Comments welcome.

 


 

Tá mé ag cur alt in airde a scríobh mé don Irish Marxist Review i mí an Mhárta. Léargas ginearálta ar an Ghaeilge ó thuiscint Mharxach atá ann. Is fiú spléachadh a ghlacadh ar an iris féin – go leor rudaí maithe ann.

Forces to be Reckoned With: The Irish Language Today PDF

Fáilte roimh aiseolas.

Bernadette McAliskey & Daonlathas/Democracy

(Béarla thíos | English below)

Bhí an seans agam arís inniu éisteacht le duine de laochra na tíre seo: Bernadette McAliskey. In éineacht léi bhí Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin ón Dream Dearg agus Thapelo Mohapi ón Shack Dwellers Movement san Afraic Theas, agus iad uilig ann ar mhaithe le seoladh suímh nua idirlín dírithe ar ghníomhaithe agus gluaiseachtaí sóisialta.

Ní léiriú é ar an bheirt eile a labhair go cumhachtach agus Thapelo Mohapi ach go háirithe a thug léargas ar na bagairtí tromchúiseacha a bhfuil os comhair gníomhaithe san Afraic Theas – ní léiriú orthu é nuair a deirim go bhfuil ábaltacht faoi leith ag Bernadette McAliskey seomra a chur faoi gheasa. Ach a mhalairt ón Spailpín Fánach; ní chuireann sí mearbhall ar an lucht éisteachta. In áit sin, is caint í a spreagann gnímh. Is caint í a chothaíonn misneach is uchtach. Is caint í a chuireann deacrachtaí agus feallanna agus cruálacht an domhain i do láthair ar bhealach nach súnn do chuid láidreachta ach a chuireann leis. Agus is tallann ar leith sin.

I measc na gcéadta rud úsáideach a dúirt sí, rinne sí tagairt don daonlathas agus an tábhacht leis an ‘trédhearcacht’ dó. Chuir sé mé ag smaoineamh fán méid a dúirt an iar-Uachtarán, Máire Mhic Giolla Íosa agus an iar-Aire i Rialtas na hÉireann, Dermot Aherne, ar na mallaibh.

Ar eagla nach bhfaca an scéal, thug an bheirt úd le fios go ndearna Stát Rúnaí don Vatacáin iarracht, i 2003 agus 2004, cosaint a fháil don Eaglais i gcomhthéacs na bhfiosrúchán ar dhroch-íde a bhí i lár an aonaigh ag an am. D’iarr an Stát Rúnaí seo, Cairdinéil Sodano, go mbeadh cáipéisí “plúchta” agus go mbeadh cosaint dlíthúil tugtha don Eaglais i gcásanna cúirte.

Go cinnte, an cheist is tábhachtaí chun a lua anseo ná an Eaglais féin agus an dóigh a phlé siad – agus a phléann go fóill – le mí-úsáid institiúideach. Ach tá pointe níos leithne ar fiú a dhéanamh chomh maith, pointe a bhaineann go dlúth leis an daonlathas: cé acu a mbíonn sé de chead acu bheith ar an eolas fá rudaí, agus cad chuige?

Cad chuige go bhfuil de cheart ag Máire Mhic Giolla Íosa agus Dermot Aherne an scéal sin a sceitheadh anois? Cad chuige go nglacann sé breis is cúig mbliana dhéag leis an eolas sin theacht chun solais? Agus oifigigh an Vatacáin os a gcomhair ar lorg cuidiú le droch-íde institiúideach a chur faoi cheilt, cad chuige nach ritheann siad na bhaile láithreach ag cáineadh na n-iarrachtaí sin go glórmhar? Cé a dhéanann an cinneadh faoi na rudaí sin a bhfuil sé de leas againn cluinstin fúthu agus na rudaí sin nach bhfuil? Cad chuige a rinneadh an cinneadh gan íospartaigh, a d’fhulaing faoi droch-íde an eaglais, a chur ar an eolas faoin scéal seo?

Fud an domhain is féidir le lucht cumhachta dul i mbun gnó – gnó a théann i bhfeidhm ar na milliúin daoine – taobh thiar de dhoirse druidte. Agus ansin tá smacht acu ar an méid a sceithtear amach i measc an phobail – sa chás go sceitheann siad aon rud. Ach mar a dúirt Bernadette McAliskey inniu, níl aon daonlathas ann gan trédhearcacht.

Go ginearálta, más rud é go mbeidh tionchar ag cinneadh a dhéanfar, ba chóir go mbeadh deis agat do chuid a rá faoin chinneadh sin. In éagmais an méid sin, cibé rud atá agat ní ionann é agus an daonlathas. Sa lá atá inniu ann, is annamh a bhfuil fios againn faoi na cinntí seo, gan trácht fiú amháin ar chead cainte a bheith againn orthu.


I had the chance again today to listen to one of this place’s legends: Bernadette McAliskey. Beside her were Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin from An Dream Dearg and Thapelo Mohapi from the Shack Dwellers movement in South Africa, and they were all there to help launch a new website directed at activists and social movements.

It’s no reflection on the other two who spoke powerfully, and Thapelo Mohapi especially who outlined the serious threats facing activists in South Africa on a daily basis – it’s no reflection on them when I say that Bernadette McAliskey has a stand-out ability bewitch a room. But unlike the Pied Piper; she doesn’t leave her listeners in a daze. Instead, hers is talk that inspires action. Talk that gives confidence. Talk that lays out before you all the world’s hardship and evil and cruelty in a way that doesn’t sap your strength but adds to it. And that is a special talent.

Among the many useful things that she said, she touched on the importance of transparency for democracy. It made me think about all that the previous Irish President, Mary McAleese, and the ex-cabinet Minister in the Irish Government, Dermot Aherne, have said recently.

For those that missed the story, both of the aforementioned have made it known this week that the Secretary of State of the Vatican, in 2003 and 2004, tried to negotiate protection for the Irish Government for the Church, in the context of the investigations into abuse that were ongoing at the time. Cardinal Sodano requested that documents would be kept secret and that the church would be indemnified against any legal action.

Obviously the most important point here is the Church and how they have dealt and continue to deal with institutional abuse. But there’s a wider point too about democracy, and something key to democracy: who gets to know what and why.

Why is it that Mary McAleese and Dermot Aherne get to ‘reveal’ this now? Why is it that it takes roughly 15 years for this information to come to light? Why, when faced by Vatican officials asking them to help cover up institutional abuse, don’t they immediately run back home and announce and denounce these approaches for all to hear? Who decides what’s in our interest to be told and what isn’t? Why was it decided that victims of church abuse would not need to be told this piece of information?

All over the world people in power can conduct their dealings behind closed doors – dealings that effect millions of people – and can then control what they release into the public. That is, if they even release anything at all. Listened to Bernadette McAliskey talk about some of these things today, about how there’s no democracy without transparency – great stuff as usual.

In general, if a decision made will have an effect on your life, you ought to have a say in it. Anything less is not democracy. Right now we often don’t even know about these decisions, nevermind having a say in them.

Tábhacht an phósta… don Eaglais | Why Marriage Matters… for the Church

Inné bhí sagart sa Tuaisceart ar fud na nuachtáin nuair a dúirt sé nár chóir go mbeadh cead acu siúd a vótáil Tá sa reifreann pósadh i seipéal. Dúirt sé chomh maith gur chóir go mbeadh Caitlicigh atá ar son rogha curtha faoi choinnealbhá. 

Tá fímíneacht shoiléir ann anseo, i bhfianaise taifead deistíneach míthrócaireach na hEaglaise in Éirinn (féach na Magdalene Laundries, an mhí-úsáid córasach, na árais mháithreacha agus naíonán, ag díol páistí le daoine thar lear, gan ach beagán a lua). Ba chóir go gcuirfeadh ceann amháin de na rudaí sin cosc ar aon eagraíocht a bheith páirteach i reáchtáil na sochaí – ach le liosta chomh fada leis sin níl aon díospóireacht ann. 

Ach tá pointe eile ann chomh maith. Tá an Eaglais i ndiaidh a ndícheall a dhéanamh le blianta fada chun smacht righin daingean a choinneál ar phósadh. Idir iad ag troid go tréan in éadan an cholscartha a bheith dleathach, nó an riachtanas go rachadh siúd idir dall agus pósadh go “ceachtanna pósta”, nó an iarracht dho-ídithe acu srian a chur le pósadh taobh amuigh den Eaglais agus pósadh comhghnéis. Cad chuige?

De thairbhe, na teagaisc reiligiúnacha acu ar leataobh, sna laethanta a tháinig romhainn ba mhodh smachta fíoréifeachtach a bhí ann. Tá an pósadh nasctha go dlúth le stádas (dlíthiúil) s’agat, agus gach rud a thagann leis sin. Muna bhfuil tú in ann pósadh sa lá atá inniu ann, is féidir go bhfágtar tú faoi míbhuintáistí saolta ó thaobh cúrsaí cánacha, dlíthiúla agus eile.  San am a chuaigh thart, bhíodh na míbhuntáistí saolta sin níos géire arís, go háirithe do mhná, agus mar gheall go raibh an pósadh chomh tábhachtach sin i saolta daoine (ó thaobh airgid agus cúrsaí caidrimh de) dá mbeifeá ábalta é a smachtadh bheadh go leor cumhachta agat. Úsáideadh an chumhacht sin sa cheantar áitiúil agus i hallaí an rialtais. Go minic b’é an toradh ar an bhagairt sin a bhí os comhair daoine aonaracha nó pobail iomláine – nach mbeadh cead acu pósadh – ná go mbeadh sé fíordheacair orthu siúd gan chumhacht seasamh a ghlacadh in éadan treoracha na hEaglaise. Ba mhaith leo go mbeadh orainn pósadh i séipéil s’acusan sa dóigh is go dtig leo dul i bhfeidhm ar cad a dhéanann muid taobh amuigh dóibh.

Beidh an Eaglais Chaitliceach i gcónaí ag iarraidh smacht a bheith acu ar institiúd an phósta. Roimhe seo, bheadh tionchar nach beag ag rí-rá is ruaille buaille faoi chosc orthu siúd atá ar son rogha a bheith ábalta pósadh. Buíochas le Dia, thiocfadh leat a rá, is lú an tionchair atá ag bagairtí an lae inniu. Is beag seans go gciúnóidh siad an ghluaiseacht i dtreo neamhspléachais mhná, Thuaidh agus Theas, i gcúrsaí a gcoirp féin.

Yesterday a priest made all sorts of headlines with his statement that those who voted Yes shouldn’t get married in a chapel. He also said that pro-choice Catholics should/would be excommunicated.

There is the obvious hypocrisy here, given the Church’s abhorrent and inhumane record in Ireland (eg. the Magdalene Laundries, the systemic abuse, the mother and baby homes, the literal selling of children to people abroad, to name but a few). Just one of those horrific incidents should be enough to disqualify any organisation from having a say in how our society is run – but a litany of them…

However, there’s a second point as well. The Church has always tried its best to strictly control marriage. From fighting tooth and nail against the legalisation of divorce, to requiring soon-to-be weds take part in Church-led marriage ‘lessons’, to doing its best to restrict non-Church marriage and same-sex marriage. Why?

Because aside from its religious teachings about marriage, in days gone past it was an extremely effective method of control. Marriage is wedded tightly to your legal status, and all that comes with that. Today, the inability to marry can have a serious material disadvantages, in terms of taxes, legal matters and more. In the past, these material disadvantages were all the greater, especially for women, and thus as it is so important to people (emotionally and financially), controlling it gave you a lot of power. That power was wielded both in the local village and in the corridors of government. The threat of preventing people from marrying (either individually or en masse), meant it was often very difficult for powerless individuals to disobey the teachings and instructions of the Church. They want people to have to marry in their churches as a way of dictating what they do outside of them.

That is why the Catholic Church will always attempt to act as a gatekeeper of the institution of marriage. In the past, thundering about pro-choice people not being permitted to marry would have had a profound affect. Luckily, today’s threats hold less sway, and are unlikely to dampen the onward march towards bodily autonomy for women North and South.

IMR Article

IMr Article

Tá mé ag cur alt in airde a scríobh mé don Irish Marxist Review i mí an Mhárta. Léargas ginearálta ar an Ghaeilge ó thuiscint Mharxach atá ann. Is fiú spléachadh a ghlacadh ar an iris féin – go leor rudaí maithe ann.

Forces to be Reckoned With: The Irish Language Today PDF

Fáilte roimh aiseolas.

I’m uploading an article I wrote for the Irish Marxist Review in March. It’s a general overview of the Irish language from a Marxist point of view. It’s worth checking out the IMR itself – it has plenty of good things in it.

Forces to be Reckoned With: The Irish Language Today PDF

Comments welcome.