An Irish-language fluency condition imposed on prospective buyers by the local council has meant the developer’s phones have stayed largely silent. And in a desperate bid to shift the Bruach na hAbhann units, the developer has slashed the prices of some of the 23 two-bedroom apartments from €295,000 to €265,000 and €275,000. Twelve of the apartments are for Irish speakers only, and 11 are open to anybody.
Some may say one reason for the lack of interest is that forcing Gaelgeoir buyers to prove their linguistic mettle by sitting an adult version of the dreaded Leaving Certificate oral exam is insulting.
Under the regulations, Galway county council will set up an interview board, comprising at least one Irish-speaking planning executive and another Irish-speaking member. Hopefuls will have to converse fluently “as Gaeilge” until the board sees fit to put a roof over their heads. So far, no interviews have taken place, and the council is sketchy on the details, apparently deciding to cross that bridge when they come to it.
Under the local county development plan, a percentage of housing in Gaeltacht areas must be set aside for fluent speakers of Irish. As a general rule, if a region is 80% Irish-speaking, 85% or so of a new development must be sold exclusively to speakers of Irish.
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Even those who rent an apartment will have to meet the requirements, dealing a blow to potential holiday home use by tourists.
“I find it anti-development, rather than pro-Irish language,” says Joe Greaney, the agent for the scheme. “Developers are not taking any chances now. It seems as though the pro-language people are jumping on the development bandwagon and taking advantage at the expense of developers. Galway county council has certain concessions in place for housing returning immigrants, yet this condition seems to contravene that. I know of one woman returned from England whose son wishes to buy one, but under these rules he cannot — he doesn’t speak Irish.”
The developer concerned, John Foye, decided not to appeal against the condition, which would have delayed the building process by months. The buildings, set over two blocks, are in the construction phase and there’s a possibility that the Irish-language block will never be filled with owners.
It appears that it is solely the language condition that is adversely affecting sales. The apartments at Bruach na hAbhann are attractive. Development in a seaside area such as Spiddal is relatively scarce, so the apartments should hold their value well. The scheme is within walking distance of local amenities, private car parking is included, there are fitted ash kitchens, balconies on the first-floor flats and the apartments are set around a secured courtyard.
And if more proof were needed of the effects of the language stipulation, eight of the 11 one-bedroom apartments that carry no conditions have already been snapped up. Just two of the 12 units for Irish speakers to date are sale agreed, and the buyers are awaiting the oral exam.
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Galway county council would not be drawn on the consequences of the condition. “We cannot comment on individual planning issues,” said a spokesman. “The condition was enforced in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000, and will remain in place unless changes are made to the act.”
A report on the progress of the development plan is due next May, although the council would not say whether the language condition would be on the agenda.
However, last year the developer of one new scheme in Claregalway successfully appealed to An Bord Pleanala against the imposition of an Irish-language clause on the grounds that there weren’t enough native speakers in the region to warrant its enforcement.
In Co Meath, Irish fluency is not a prerequisite for buyers but is left to the discretion of the developer. Tomas O’Maonaile, the developer of Brugh na Mi, an eco-friendly scheme of houses aimed at Gaelgeoirs near Navan, has been marketing his scheme to Irish-speakers and a number of sales are in progress, all of them to people fluent in Irish.
O’Maonaile says he sees a mandatory Irish language condition as a good thing for the language, and is unfazed by the consequences for developers.
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“For Irish to be a living language, a condition such as that imposed in Galway would be a positive thing,” he says. “I believe we need places where Irish is the predominant language. It is still continuously spoken in certain places, yet is declining as a community language.”
Bruach na hAbhann, Keane Mahony Smith, 091 563 744; Brugh na Mi, Tomas O’Maonaile, 087 811 1521