North American Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir Permanent North American Gaeltacht | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 44°30′06″N 76°59′04″W / 44.50167°N 76.98444°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Established | 16 June 2007 (as the first official Gaeltacht outside Ireland [1]) |
Area | |
• Land | 0.24 km2 (0.09 sq mi) |
seasonal | |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
The North American Gaeltacht ( Irish: Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir) [2] is a gathering place for Irish speakers in the community of Tamworth, Ontario, in Canada. The nearest main township is Erinsville, Ontario. Unlike in Ireland, where the term " Gaeltacht" refers to an area where Irish is the traditional language, this part of Ontario has no resident native Irish speakers. The name refers instead to its being a meeting place for Irish speakers from North America and elsewhere.
Erinsville was settled by the Irish, and its first five mayors were Irish. [3] As of early 2021, the organisation's website referred to it as the North American Gaeltacht or Ghaeltacht Thuaisceart an Oileáin Úir. [4]
This site was the first and only officially sanctioned Gaeltacht (or "designated Irish-speaking area") to exist outside Ireland. The Gaeltacht's opening ceremony was attended by the Irish ambassador to Canada, Declan Kelly, and by Helen Gannon of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. [5] A statement was also released by the then Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív. In this, dated 29 May 2007, he stated: "I would like to congratulate the Canadian people for establishing a Gaeltacht in Canada, the first outside Ireland." [1] Ó Cuív also approved the funding of €20,000 (C$28,835) for teacher training. [6]
Following its launch, the project received some news coverage, primarily for the claim that it was the first of its kind outside Ireland, including by RTÉ and TG4 in Ireland, [7] [8] the BBC in the UK, [5] and the Globe and Mail in Canada. [9]
The project's stated aim is to "restore and maintain the language by having a place where speakers can make connections with each other, learn and practice Irish". [10] The site is intended to be used for Irish language immersion weeks and to build a learning centre. [11] Other objectives are to arrange exchanges with Gaeltacht families, to provide an Irish-language summer camp for children and to bring teachers from Ireland. [12] [13]
As of 2021, cultural events and " language immersion" courses were happening virtually and at the site. [14] [15] [16]