Reáchtáladh comhdháil lae ar 22 Deireadh Fómhair in ómós d’Anna Ní Ghallachair, a chuaigh ar scor i mí Eanáir 2021, tar éis di 26 bliain a chaitheamh ag obair in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad. Ceiliúradh a bhí sa chomhdháil ar obair Anna, a bhí ina Stiúrthóir ar Lárionad na Gaeilge, ina Ceann Scoile ar Scoil an Léinn Cheiltigh, ina scoláire aitheanta i réimse na teangeolaíochta feidhmí agus ina ceannródaí i múineadh agus measúnú na Gaeilge. Thug an chomhdháil spléachadh iontach ar réimsí oibre Anna, le cainteanna óna cuid comhghleacaithe i Scoil an Léinn Cheiltigh agus ó aoichainteoirí agus scoláirí mór le rá i ngoirt na Gaeilge, an bheartais teanga agus an ilteangachais.
I 1994 a thug Anna faoina ról mar Stiúrthóir ar Ionad na dTeangacha, mar a bhí air ag an am. Faoina stiúir, tháinig borradh as cuimse faoi obair an Ionaid, go háirithe i gcomhthéacs na Gaeilge, agus bunaíodh Lárionad na Gaeilge sa bhliain 2016. Mar dhuine a tógadh le Gaeilge agus Béarla ar oileán Gaeltachta, bhí tuiscint an-domhain aici ar chomhthéacs casta sochtheangeolaíoch na Gaeilge, agus ar na dúshláin a bhaineann le teagasc agus foghlaim mionteanga. Mar dhuine Eorpach, ilteangach, a chaith blianta ag staidéar agus ag teagasc sa Fhrainc, agus deich mbliana eile ina léachtóir le Fraincis, Gearmáinis agus Gaeilge in Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Leitir Ceanainn, bhí radharc eile aici ar na dúshláin sin. Bhí sí in ann seasamh siar agus breathnú ar an nGaeilge trí lionsa níos leithne, lionsa idirnáisiúnta an ilteangachais, agus bhí sí in ann réitigh agus féidearthachtaí úra a fheiceáil agus a chur i gcrích.
Tá sé seo le feiceáil go soiléir sna tograí ar chuir sí tús leo: TEG, nó Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge, sraith scrúduithe cumais sa Ghaeilge atá déanta ag 10,000 duine go dtí seo ; Vifax, áis teagaisc agus foghlama ar líne bunaithe ar Nuacht TG4; an Dioplóma Iarchéime san Aistriúchán agus san Eagarthóireacht, cúrsa ar líne a chuireann oiliúint phraiticiúil ar fáil do dhaoine ar mhian leo cáiliú mar aistritheoirí agus a bhfuil go leor céimithe dá chuid ag obair mar aistritheoirí gairmiúla in institiúidí an Aontais Eorpaigh anois; an Teastas i Múineadh na Gaeilge d’Fhoghlaimeoirí Fásta, cúrsa ar líne a chuireann oiliúint ar mhúinteoirí a bhíonn ag múineadh na Gaeilge do dhaoine fásta in Éirinn agus thar lear. Bhí sé mar bhunchloch ag an obair i gcónaí go mbeadh gach cuid den chleachtas bunaithe nó fréamhaithe go daingean sa taighde agus sa dea-chleachtas idirnáisiúnta. Tá tionchar Anna le feiceáil sna cleachtais ghinearálta agus sa chur chuige teagaisc atá i bhfeidhm sa Lárionad – cur chuige cumarsáideach agus tasc-bhunaithe atá bunaithe ar an bhFráma Tagartha Comónta Eorpach, agus atá dírithe ar riachtanais agus ar inspreagadh an fhoghlaimeora, agus ar an bhfoghlaimeoir teanga a chumasú le bheith ina úsáideoir éifeachtach teanga.
Ag labhairt dó go fíorúil ag an gcomhdháil, dúirt an tIar-Aire Oideachais, Joe McHugh go mbeadh oidhreacht Anna le feiceáil i ngach áit ní hamháin in Éirinn ach ar fud an domhain. Tá Anna aitheanta go náisiúnta agus go hidirnáisiúnta mar cheannródaí agus mar shaineolaí ar theagasc na Gaeilge, ar an ilteangachas agus ar an deisteangachas agus is iomaí éacht atá déanta aici sa réimse. Chaith sí seal mar uachtarán ar Chumann na Teangeolaíochta Feidhmí in Éirinn. Bhí sí ina ball de Choimisiún na Gaeltachta, coimisiún de chuid an Rialtais a ceapadh le moltaí a dhréachtú maidir le neartú ról na Gaeilge sna Gaeltachtaí; bhí sí ina comhairleoir acadúil ag an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna leis an nGrúpa Oibre um Pholasaí Oideachais Teanga; bhí sí ina comhalta de Choiste Feidhmiúcháin an Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) agus ainmníodh í mar ionadaí na hÉireann ar an mbord comhairliúcháin de chuid an Táscaire Eorpaigh maidir le hinniúlacht teanga ag Coimisiún na hEorpa sa Bhruiséil. Ceapadh í ina Cathaoirleach ar Bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta in 2012, ról a bhfuil sí fós ina bhun ó ceapadh don dara téarma í in 2018. Bronnadh an gradam Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Acdémiques uirthi sa bhliain 2008, mar gheall ar an ngaisce atá déanta aici i réimse an deisteangachais.
Le linn dó a bheith ag caint go fíorúil ar lá na comhdhála, dúirt an tOllamh David Little, Ollamh Comhlach leis an Teangeolaíocht Fheidhmeach i gColáiste na Tríonóide, “The work that Anne and her colleagues in the Centre have done to promote and support the learning, teaching, assessment, and certification of proficiency in Irish for the adult population is truly exemplary. I am sure that it’s a matter of gratification to the team that the centre is Ireland’s full member of the Association of Language Testers in Europe, a framework in which it has established a firm profile. It's a matter of gratification to me too, that in this area at least, Ireland bears comparison with the rest of Europe. The Irish language is no less well served than any other of the many lesser-known taught spoken languages in Europe and that is down to Anne Gallagher.”
Mar bhainisteoir agus mar chomhghleacaí, bhí Anna eisceachtúil. Thacaigh sí i gcónaí le gach ball foirne a bhí faoin stiúir, d’iarr sí a gcuid tuairimí and comhairle, d’éist sí lena raibh le rá acu agus rinne sí daoine a chumasú. Thug sí spreagadh agus tacaíocht faoi leith do mhná óga agus bhí sí ina ceannródaí ní hamháin maidir le cúrsaí teanga, ach maidir le cúrsaí comhionannais. I bhfad sula raibh aon iomrá ar leithéidí Athena Swan, bhíodh an comhionannas i gcónaí á chur chun cinn aici féin.
Nuair a thosaigh Anna sa bhliain 1994 ní raibh ach triúr ball foirne in Ionad na dTeangacha. Fágann sí foireann mhór fhuinniúil anseo sa Lárionad atá an-bhródúil as a cuid oibre agus as an oidhreacht a fhágann sí ina diaidh.
Ag an gcomhdháil, ghabh comhghleacaithe Anna buíochas léi as an bhfís a bhí aici don Lárionad, as an tiomantas a bhí aici don obair, as an spreagadh agus misneach a thug sí dóibh, agus as na blianta suimiúla, spreagúla, torthúla, taitneamhacha a bhí caite acu ag obair i dteannta a chéile. Tá an fhoireann ag súil le tuilleadh forbairtí a dhéanamh ar shaothar Anna sna blianta atá amach rompu. Mar a dúirt Aisling Ní Bheacháin ó Lárionad na Gaeilge: “Tá seoda an teaghlaigh fágtha aici anseo mar oidhreacht; tabharfaimid aire mhaith dóibh.”
A celebration of the work of Anne Gallagher: a pioneer who saw Irish-language teaching through European eyes
A one-day conference was held on the 22 October last in honour of Anne Gallagher who retired in January 2021, having spent 26 years working at Maynooth University. The conference was a celebration of Anne’s work as Director of the Centre for Irish Language, as Head of the School of Celtic Studies, as a recognised scholar in the field of applied linguistics and as a pioneer in the teaching and assessment of Irish. The conference highlighted the scope of Anne’s work, with lectures delivered by her colleagues in the School of Celtic Studies, and by guest speakers and leading experts in the Irish language, language policy and multilingualism.
Anne became Director of the Language Centre, as it was known at the time, in 1994. Under her leadership, the work of the Centre expanded greatly, particularly in relation to Irish, and the Centre for Irish Language was established in 2016. As someone who was raised bilingually, with Irish and English, on a Gaeltacht island, Anne had a very deep understanding of the complex sociolinguistic context of Irish and the challenges faced in teaching and learning a minoritized language. But as a multilingual European who had spent years working and studying in France, and 10 years after that lecturing in French, German and Irish in Letterkenny IT, she had a different perspective on those challenges. She could zoom out and see Irish through a broader international and multilingual lens, and she could see new solutions and possibilities and put them into practice.
The projects initiated by Anne bear testament to her vision: TEG, or Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge, a suite of Irish-language proficiency exams for adults which have been taken by 10,000 candidates to date; Vifax, an online teaching and learning resource based on TG4 (Irish-language TV channel) news bulletins; the Postgraduate Diploma in Translation and Editing, an online programme which provides practical training for aspiring translators, many graduates of which are now working as professional translators in the institutions of the EU; the Certificate in Teaching of Irish to Adults, an online course which trains teachers of Irish to adult learners in Ireland and abroad. A cornerstone of the work from the outset was that every part of the practice would be based on and rooted firmly in research and international best practice. Anne’s influence is clear in the general practices and teaching approaches used by the Centre - a teaching approach that is based on communicative, task-based, action-oriented learning, and on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, an approach focused on the needs and motivations of the learners, and on enabling the language learner to become an effective language user.
Speaking virtually at the conference, the former Minister of Education, Joe McHugh, said the legacy of Anne’s work can be seen both in Ireland and abroad. Anne is recognised both nationally and internationally as a pioneer and expert in the teaching of Irish, in the fields of multilingualism and plurilingualism and her achievements in these areas are numerous. A former president of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics, she was a member of Coimisiún na Gaeltachta, a government commission appointed to draft recommendations to strengthen the role of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking area of Ireland. She was academic advisor to the Language Education Policy Working Group of the Irish Department of Education and Skills. Currently, she is a member of the executive committee of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) and she was the Irish member on the Advisory Board of the European Indicator of Language Competence project at the European Commission in Brussels. She was appointed Chairperson of the Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta in 2012, the Irish state agency responsible for the social, linguistic and economic development of the Gaeltacht, and was appointed for a second term in 2018. She was awarded the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Acdémiques in recognition of her work in plurilingualism, one of the highest civilian honours bestowed on academics and educators by the French state.
In his virtual address at the conference, Professor David Little, Fellow Emeritus of the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences said, “The work that Anne and her colleagues in the Centre have done to promote and support the learning, teaching, assessment, and certification of proficiency in Irish for the adult population is truly exemplary. I am sure that it’s a matter of gratification to the team that the centre is Ireland’s full member of the Association of Language Testers in Europe, a framework in which it has established a firm profile. It's a matter of gratification to me too, that in this area at least, Ireland bears comparison with the rest of Europe. The Irish language is no less well served than any other of the many lesser-known taught spoken languages in Europe and that is down to Anne Gallagher.”
As a manager and a colleague, Anne was exceptional. Her support for her staff in the Centre was boundless, she sought their opinions and advice, she listened to what they had to say and empowered them. In particular, she supported and encouraged younger female colleagues. While her approach to language education was pioneering, she was also a pioneer in relation to equality. Long before the introduction of Athena Swan, Anne promoted equality in every aspect of her work. When she began as Director of the Language Centre in 1994, there were only three staff members. She now leaves a large and vibrant team who are extremely proud of her work, achievements and legacy.
Anne’s colleagues thanked her for her vision and for her commitment to the Centre, for the inspiration and encouragement she gave them, and for the engaging, stimulating, productive and enjoyable years they had spent working together. Anne’s colleagues at the Centre look forward to developing further the many projects initiated by her. As her colleague Aisling Ní Bheacháin said at the conference “You have left us with a very valuable legacy, of which we will take great care.”