A student lodged an anonymous complaint today to the steering committee of Union of Students in Ireland/ Aontas Mac Léinn in Éirinn (USI / AMLÉ) following a motion for the Irish name for USI/AMLÉ to be solely used for the organisation.
Taking place at USI/ AMLÉ’s National Congress of Student Unions in Wexford, the student communicated that the nature of the discussion made them feel unsafe due to their identity, which was later clarified by USI/ AMLÉ as British.
The heated discussion featured speakers against the motion calling the implementation of the Irish language as “exclusionary” and “inaccessible”. A speaker also said that those who speak Irish are “privileged”.
Speakers in favour of the motion highlighted that Irish has to be promoted and used more widely in USI / AMLÉ and in wider society, and that the Irish language has a history of suppression in Ireland which should be challenged.
The motion was proposed by Aontas Mac Léinn Coláiste na Tríonóide Oifigeach Gaeilge Pádraig Mac Brádaigh, and was passed despite a small minority voting against the motion, which largely consisted of Technological University of Dublin (TUD) delegates to USI / AMLÉ.
TCDSU Education Officer Eoghan Gilroy sent a complaint on behalf of TCDSU to USI / AMLCT about the comments made by those who spoke in opposition to the motion.
The complaint read: “In a discussion about Irish language rights, to prioritise a hypothetical affront to British identity while disregarding the actual harm done to Irish speakers is not only inappropriate, but it also constitutes an affront to our Irish identity”.
The complaint further stated: “During this debate, several comments were made which not only misrepresented the experience and views of international students, but also propagated harmful narratives about the Irish language and those who speak it.”
“These claims, made without proper consultation or representation, are both inaccurate and deeply offensive.”
