Eurolink News

Irish language newspaper ‘a badge of pride’ in Brussels (17/7/08)

July 17, 2008 at 5:33 pm Leave a comment

A new Irish language newspaper has been launched in Brussels. ‘Anam Beo’ is aimed at some 15,000 Irish people living in Belgium, and will give an overview of activities of the Irish community there. The paper was launched by Fine Gael MEPs Jim Higgins and Colm Burke during a lively evening of song and dance at the European Parliament last week. Speaking at the event, Mr Higgins praised the effort and enthusiasm of those involved in the production of the newspaper, describing it as ‘a major leap forward for the language.’ He was supported by his Fianna Fáil colleague MEP Sean O Neachtain, a well-known Irish language activist. ‘Language is more than a means of communication,’ said Mr O Neachtain. ‘This new paper is evidence of the growing importance of the Irish language abroad, ever since it was given official recognition as a working language of the EU in 2007. Irish people are rightly proud of the richness and distinctiveness of their native tongue.’
The name ‘Anam Beo’ is derived from a quotation by Irish patriot Thomas Davis, ‘A country without its language is a country without its soul.’ The newspaper will be published seven times a year to coincide with the Irish and Celtic feast-days. It will be 70 per cent in Irish, 20 per cent in English in the form of translated articles and vocabulary, and the remaining 10 per cent in Belgium’s official languages of French, Dutch and German. The first edition includes articles by young people and Irish politicians living in Brussels, a piece on how Esperanto improves one’s ability to learn Irish, and details of the strong GAA presence in Belgium and the world’s first Irish-speaking toastmasters’ club. Another article celebrates the recent establishment of Pobal Gaeilge, a network to promote Irish as a living language in Brussels through the three pillars of language, music and dance.

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