Déardaoin, 10 Márta, dúirt Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge, (2) Proinsias Mac Aonghusa, le linn dó a bheith ag seoladh Sheachtain na Gaeilge, (3) gur dochar as an gcoitiantacht a dhéanfadh polasaí nua na Roinne Oideachais maidir le Gaeilge sna scoileanna. (4)
"Is ait go deo an rud é agus Rialtas in oifig atá níos fabhraí don Ghaeilge, do chultúr agus do thraidisiún na nGael ná mar a bhí aon rialtas le fada, an Roinn Oideachais a bheith mar atá. (5)
"An bhfuil aon ardoifigeach anois sa Roinn Oideachais a thuigeann tábhacht na Gaeilge agus a bhfuil sé de mhisneach ann seasamh léi?
"Níor mhiste don Taoiseach agus don Aire Ealaíon, Cultúir agus Gaeltachta fiosrú a dhéanamh ar a bhfuil á dhéanamh le stádas na Gaeilge sna scoileanna á ísliú," (6) ar seisean.
Notaí Gramadúla
(1) á = a (preposition before verbal noun) + a (possessive). When used with a verbal noun it has two meanings, and only context can tell you which is the correct one. For example, "Bhí siad á gceannach" is literally "They were to their buying" which can mean either "They were buying them" or "They were being bought." Thus the title of the article is literally "The status of Gaelic in the schools (is) to its declining" i.e. "The status of Gaelic in the schools (is) declining."
(2) Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge - President of the Gaelic League. One would expect "Uachtarán Chonartha na Gaeilge" since the genitive of "conradh" is "conartha." However, the nominative form of a noun is regularly used instead of the genitive when that noun governs another _definite_ noun in the genitive. Other examples are "cóta _mhac_ Sheáin" - "John's son's coat" and "iníon _fhear_ an tí" - "the daughter of the master of the house." Note also that although the form is nominative, the noun is lenited as a genitive would be.
(3) literally "in the period to him to be directing Gaelic Week" i.e. "while he was directing Gaelic Week".
(4) literally "that it is unusual damage which the new policy of the Department of Education in regard to Gaelic in the schools would cause" i.e. "that the new policy of the Department of Education in regard to Gaelic in the schools would cause unusual damage." "Dochar" "damage" is emphasized by being introduced by the past tense of the copula "gur" (combined with the conjunction "go").
(5) "It is always a strange thing, when (or although) the Government in office is more favorable to Gaelic, to the Gaelic culture and tradition than any government has been for a long time, that the Department of Education is as it is." The conjunction "agus" is here used introducing what in English would be a subordinate clause of time (when) or concession (although).
(6) literally "to make an inquiry about that which is to its doing with the status of Gaelic in the schools to its decline." i.e. "to make an inquiry into what is being done with the decline of the status of Gaelic in the schools." The same use of "á" with a verbal noun discussed in (1)
Foclóirín (Vocabulary)
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