by Simone Klinge
Dermot Ahern T.D., Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, officially launched the interactive CD-Rom and new edition of “Nathanna Cainte don Raidió/Irish Phrases for Radio” yesterday in the offices of Foras na Gaeilge in Dublin.
The book was first published in 2002 and was enthusiastically received by the staff in the local independent and community stations. The new edition of the book contains extra sections and the CD-Rom enables all phrases to be heard in three different Irish dialects.
In welcoming the initiative, Minister Ahern said: “Most of us have Irish language skills and it is simply a matter sometimes of unlocking them. This interactive CD-Rom, I believe, provides the key. Our independent radio sector holds an ever growing role in the broadcasting landscape. We need to ensure that the Irish language is a living language in the radio sector.”
At the launch, Seosamh Mac Donncha, Chief Executive of Foras na Gaeilge, said, “There is a wealth of useful phrases in this package that will aid and increase the use of Irish among one of the most influential media in Ireland today, that of the independent radio station”.
The aim of the Irish Language Advisory Committee (founded in 1999 by the Bord na Gaeilge and the Independent Radio and Television Commission) was to find out about the amount and levels of Irish language usage in the independent broadcasting sector and to search for improvement programmes .One of the recommendations made by the Committee was the compilation and publication of a book of Irish phrases.
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