An Ghluaiseacht: Scéal Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta

by Rónán Mac Con Iomaire

Available now

An Ghluaiseacht: Scéal Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta – for the first time ever, the story of the civil rights movement in the Gaeltacht gathered together in one place. This book tells the full story of the revolutionary generation that stood up for the rights of people living in Gaeltacht areas and the short but powerful campaign that changed life in the Gaeltacht forever.

About this book

In 1969 a group of young people came together in Conamara to start what would become a transformative campaign that changed the future trajectory of the Gaeltacht. Inspired by protests that were happening all over the world, they established the Gaeltacht Civil Rights Movement, to take a stand against the marginalisation of the Gaeltacht communities across Ireland and their language.

Key highlights

An Ghluaiseacht: Scéal Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta recounts major events and turning points in the campaign:

• Establishing a pirate radio station
• Altercations with politicians
• Sit-ins in government buildings
• Clashes with Gardaí
• Marches and election campaigns

An Ghluaiseacht was often on the front pages of national newspapers.

Impacts

As a result of the campaigning major changes came about which would have a lasting positive impact on life in the Gaeltacht:

• Raidió na Gaeltachta was born
• Establishment of Údarás na Gaeltachta
• Changes to the Oireachtas festival
• The seeds were planted that would later evolve into TG4
• Road signage in Irish only in the Gaeltacht areas
• Community actions were encouraged through cooperatives.

The author – Rónán Mac Con Iomaire

An Ghluaiseacht: Scéal Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta is Rónán Mac Con Iomaire, third book. Mac Con Iomaire is from An Cheathrú Rua in Conamara.

• New Writer of the Year Award at the Oireachtas Literary Awards for his first book, Rocky Ros Muc (Cló Iar-Chonnacht, 2013).
  • Biography of the boxer Seán Mannion
  • A full-length documentary feature based on the book was longlisted for the Academy Awards, the first time for an Irish-language film to be on the list.
• His second book, The Man Who Was Never Knocked Down (Rowman & Littlefield), was published in 2018 and was longlisted for the Irish Sports Book of the Year.
• He has had a long career in journalism, starting as a writer for Independent Newspapers in 1995. His work spans various genres, including:
  • Agallaimh bheirte
  • Rhyming songs
  • Comedic songs for Oireachtas na Gaeilge competitions.