Every effort must be made to facilitate television and radio debates in Irish in the run up to the Galway West by-election, according to Social Democrats candidate Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich.
Míde was responding to reports that Raidió na Gaeltachta and TG4’s Nuacht will be unable to host live debates before polling day because there are not enough Irish-speaking candidates.
She said:
“Galway West is home to the largest Gaeltacht in the country, which is well served by two popular Irish language television and radio broadcasting services.
“I fully understand that the majority of candidates don’t have enough Irish to participate in a live debate – and I am certainly not holding that against them. But it is important that Gaeltacht areas are treated fairly and do not lose out because of this.
“We should be able to discuss and debate things that are important to these communities in Irish – issues like transport, disability, healthcare, housing and the cost of living. It would be deeply regrettable if this is not possible because only a handful of candidates have sufficient levels of Irish to participate in an election debate.
“However, I believe that a solution can be found if parties and independent candidates agree to put forward a fluent Irish speaker to represent them in any television or radio debates.
“Muintir na Gaeltachta are so often left out of the narrative in this country when it comes to the important issues of the day, and sometimes even conversations about the Irish language itself. If Irish-speaking communities can’t fully engage in this by-election, how can we even begin to address the existential problems faced by the Gaeltacht?”
March 31, 2026