Pól Ó Foighil

Pól Ó Foighil (1 June 1928 – 21 March 2005) [cite web |url=http://oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1&HouseNum=19&MemberID=1588&ConstID=206 |title=Mr. Pól Ó Foighil |work=Oirechatas Members Database |accessdate=2008-02-19] was an Irish politician and activist for Irish-speaking, coastal and island communities. A teacher turned co-operative manager, he was an active member of the Fine Gael party, and as a long-serving councillor he was the party's only elected representative in the Connemara Gaeltacht for two decades. He also served as a senator from 1989 to 1993.

Early life and family

Ó Foighil was born Thurles, County Tipperary, and was educated by the Christian Brothers in Thurles and at University College Galway (UCG). His first job was as a teacher in the Cois Fharraige area of south Connemara, and he settled in Inverin. He married Chrissie Nic Eoin, and they had seven children.cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/obituaries/2005/0326/1110799558284.html |title=Strong activist for Irish language and west coast communities |date=26 March 2005 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19]

One of their four sons, Eanna, a medical student at UCG, committed suicide in 1982. Ó Foighil later spoke on RTÉ television about the impact of suicide on families.

Activism

Ó Foighil's first community development effort was the establishment of group schemes for water supply, leading to the nickname "fear an uisce". He went on establishing Irish-language summer colleges in Connemara, and to develop co-operatives in Connemara, the Aran Islands, and Inishbiggle.cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0321/ofoighilp.html |title=Ó Cuív tribute to late Pól Ó Foighil |work=RTÉ News |date=21 March 2005 |accessdate=2008-02-19]

As manager of the co-op on Inishmaan, he supervised the construction of a desalination plant on the island, and of a controversial wind farm. The environmentalist and author Tim Robinson opposed the wind turbines, and was accused by Ó Foighil of "giving vent to confrontational heritage attitudes" and of being "hell bent" on the depopulation of Inismaan". [cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/1999/0816/99081600005.html |title=Energy agency supports proposed Aran windfarm |author=Lorna Siggins |date=16 August 1999 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19] He also campaigned for a cable-car to link the island of Inishbiggle in County Mayo with the neighbouring Achill Island.cite web |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/1997/10/22/News.htm |title=Decision on Inishbiggle cable car by January? |work=The Western People |date=22 October 1997 |accessdate=2008-02-19] [cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0206/01020600009.html |title=Objection to CPO endangers Innisbiggle cable car project |date=6 February 2001 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19] Inishbiggle had no ferry service, and the short crossing to the island was frequently impassable due to poor weather, with result that families had to leave the island so that their children could attend school. [cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/weekend/2001/0310/01031000184.html |title=Islanders are left all at sea |date=10 March 2001 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19] The government agreed to fund a cable car, but in December 2005 the plan was cancelled in favour of improved piers. [cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/1210/1134117163629.html |title=Inishbiggle residents lose their 30-year fight for cable-car link |author=Lorna Siggins |date=10 December 2005 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19]

Political career

His first political contest was as an independent candidate at the by-election in 1975 in the Galway West constituency, when he won only 7.5% of the votes. [cite web |url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=3354 |title=Pól Ó Foighil's electoral history |work=ElectionsIreland.org |accessdate=2008-02-19] In 1979, he joined Fine Gael, and stood as Fine Gael candidate at the 1979 local elections, winning seats both on Galway County Council and on Údarás na Gaeltachta. He stood again for Dáil Éireann at the 1981, November 1982 and 1992 general elections, but never won a seat.

However, in 1989 he was elected to the 19th Seanad Éireann on the Labour Panel, serving until 1993. He caused controversy in the Seanad by insisting on wearing the traditional Connemara 'báinín' jacket, and by changing his name to Pól 'Báinín' Ó Foighil. [cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0321/ofoighilp.html |title=Ó Cuív tribute to late Pól Ó Foighil |work=RTÉ News |date=21 March 2005|accessdate=2008-02-19] He also fought unsuccessfully to have legislation and official documents available to him in the Irish language, which under the Constitution of Ireland is first official language. [cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0407/01040700030.html |title=Government knows stakes are high on referendums |date=7 April 2001 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19 |quote=Many remember the campaign of the former senator, Pól Ó Foighil, to have his constitutional rights as an Irish speaker vindicated in practice as well as in theory. Pól's point was that since Irish was the first official language, he was entitled to have legislation and official documents available to him in that language]

As a councillor, Ó Foighil successfully tabled a proposal to the draft Galway County Development Plan 2003–2009 that planning permission would be given only to applicants fluent in Irish. The provision was denounced as "fascist" and "a bit Bosnian" by residents of Galway city, [cite news |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/newsfeatures/2002/1221/1040226944493.html |title=Where only fluent Irish speakers need apply |author=Lorna Siggins |date=21 December 2002 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19] and was diluted before the development plan was adopted. The final plan required a "language impact statement" only for developments of more than one dwelling, stating that "Permission will only be granted where the Authority is satisfied that the effect of the development will be beneficial to the usage of the language in the area, if permitted." [cite news |url=http://www.galway.ie/en/planning/developmentplan/County_Development_plan_as_amended_25072006.pdf |title=Galway County Development Plan |page=81 |publisher=Galway County Council |accessdate=2008-02-19] The requirement that some units in a development be reserved for Irish speakers led to falling property prices, and to the son of a returned emigrant being unable to buy an apartment because he didn't speak Irish. [cite web |url=http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article515718.ece |title=Ireland: The Market: Language barriers |author=Dara Flynn |date=20 February 2005 |work=The Sunday Times |accessdate=2008-02-19] The language rule was described as an "act of political piety" by "Sunday Times" columnist Liam Fay. [cite web |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/ireland/article676084.ece |title=Comment |author=Liam Fay |date=18 June 2006 |work=The Sunday Times |accessdate=2008-02-19]

Ó Foighil unsuccessfully sought a nomination to run as a Fine Gael candidate in the 2002 general election. He had been told by party official Finbarr Fitzpatrick that he was too old, but put his name forward at the selection convention anyway. According to Pádraic McCormack TD, Ó Foighil challenged Fitzpatrick to 20 press ups, and told the convention that his hair was his own, his teeth were his own and that other parts of his anatomy were working very well, too.

He died on 21 March 2005, aged 76. He had resigned from Galway County Council and Údarás na Gaeltachta in 2004, but had been intending to run as an independent candidate in the 2005 elections to the Údarás. [cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0322/1110799549795.html |title=Tributes paid to former Fine Gael senator |author=Lorna Siggins |date=22 March 2005 |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2008-02-19]

References