Danny Healy-Rae praises Geartic areas and local All-Island wins
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about the Irish language, local Gaeltacht life and recent club football successes, expressing pride in Geartic communities and urging greater use of the native tongue. He thanked local figures, referenced his family’s Irish speakers and paid tribute to a local woman who recently died.
Opening remarks
He began by thanking John Corle and apologising that he cannot speak Irish as fluently as others, saying he envies fluent speakers. He noted that two of his daughters are fluent Irish speakers and that one trained Teresa in Dangan.
Praise for Geartic areas in Kerry
He praised the two communities in Kerry named in his speech - Balunskillig and Ivarachig and Danganekoush - calling them proud Geartic areas that have preserved the language over the centuries. He said the Irish language is their everyday language and that their fluency keeps the culture alive.
All-Island football victories and resilience
He congratulated the two club teams that won senior and intermediate All-Island football championships, praising their never-say-die attitude and ability to come back from near-defeat. He quoted a winning-speech remark, relaying Paul Ghanie’s view that one line of Irish can express more than English in such moments.
Local ties, regrets and a tribute
He reflected on local geography and personal history, mentioning Cooley and Kilgarven, and a planned inclusion in Sarasmole's Bridge in the 1960s that did not happen. He expressed regret about not studying Irish enough at school and paid tribute to Noreen Nidale of the O’Sullivan family, who he said recently passed away and was proud of her Cooley and Kilgarven roots.
Advocacy for the Irish language
He reiterated that the native language is a source of pride and said it should be encouraged at every opportunity, celebrating the joy of hearing winning speeches delivered in Irish. He closed by saying he is surrounded by Irish speakers in his county and proud of their commitment to the language.
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Thank you very much, John Corle. I'm sorry I can't speak Irish fluently like all the others here. I actually envy them. But I have to say to Deputy Gould, I have two daughters too that are fluently Irish speakers and one of them trained, Teresa, in Dangan. I want to thank the two great communities that we have in Kerry, Balunskillig and Ivarachig and Danganekoush and all those areas. And we're really proud of our Geartic areas because we see how they have survived over the centuries and brought their own language, our own language forward and how they live for it every day. In everything they do, it's true Irish, add or subtract or whatever it is. They're very fluent in that. And I suppose I can't leave this moment without congratulating the two club teams who won their respective All-Islands, the senior and intermediate All-Island football championships this year. We're very proud of them. And they had a never-say-die attitude and there was no surrender as far as they were concerned. They were nearly gone two or three or four different times and they still came back. And as Paul Ghanie said in their winning speeches, you can say so much more in one line of Irish than you could in English and express things so much better. The Irish language means so much to them in the Geartic areas and they're so proud of it. It's their everyday language. And the winning speeches in Irish were a joy to listen to them. We're looking in Kerry to have these great Kerry's and the great men that have played football, that played football for their clubs and for Kerry. Indeed, indeed, we all remember Paddy O'Shea and the never-say-die attitude that he had. Our native language is something to be very proud of and we should encourage the use of it at every opportunity. I'm very sorry. We live beside Cooley, which is bound in Kilgarven at the top of Coole. And at one time we were supposed to be included in the great town of Sarasmole's Bridge in the 60s. It never happened. But I'm sorry about that and I'm sorry that I didn't give enough time when I was at school. For the middle of the time I was at school and it fully indulged me. When I think of the people of Cooley, I went to come visit with the O'Sullivan family, who their sister, Noreen Nidale, passed away last week. She was a proud Cooley woman and a Kilgarven woman as well because their mother came from Kilgarven. She was a proud Cooley woman and I all remember, dear Madhu O'Sullivan, in the Radio on the Grail. He was her brother as well. I'm surrounded by Irish very close to me and very proud of all the people that speak Irish in our county as well.
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