Irish town wins battle against edict to switch to Gaelic name
© AFP/Illustration

DUBLIN (AFP) - Under a 2004 order enacted by Irish Affairs Minister Eamon O Cuiv, Dingle became Daingean as part of a move requiring over 2,300 towns to adopt Gaelic names.

The order reversed a British mapping programme that started in 1824 and resulted in mainly anglicised names.

But in a local plebiscite two years ago, 1,005 of the 1,222 residents of the southwestern town opted for the bilingual compromise of "Dingle Daingean Ui Chuis".

But O Cuiv said the exercise in local democracy has created a legal quandary.

The town is in a 'gaeltacht' area -- a district where the Irish language is commonly spoken and where residents receive grants and allowances for schools, homes, clubs, and festivals to encourage Irish speaking.

Acting on advice from the state's chief law officer, O Cuiv said the law did not allow him to "declare a bilingual placename for a Gaeltacht area".

The row was referred to Environment Minister John Gormley who said on Tuesday he plans to amend the law on changing placenames to "bring a satisfactory conclusion to the issue".

The move will "ensure that all future proposals for placename changes must specify the proposed name in Irish and English, unless it is indicated that an Irish name only is to be adopted," Gormley said.

The town's revolt against the name change was prompted by fears that its thriving tourist industry could be damaged with visitors confused by the unfamiliar name Daingean on road signs and maps.

Residents feel Dingle is a valuable brand name in Britain and the United States. Hundreds of thousands of tourists travel to picturesque western Ireland every year and the Dingle peninsula is a major attraction.

Its dramatic coastline was the setting for the 1970 Oscar-winning film "Ryan's Daughter" starring Robert Mitchum and John Mills.

Another tourist magnet is the Dingle dolphin called Fungie who has appeared in waters outside the town's harbour since 1983.

Every year an estimated 250,000 people go on boat trips to see or swim with him.

Gaelic was Ireland's predominant language but was overwhelmed following British colonisation when English became the sole language of government.

©AFP