Fáilte roimh an Chiste Ultach/Welcome to the Ultach Fund

8 Mar 2021

The Community Foundation is delighted to welcome The Ultach Fund to its family of managed funds. The original Iontaobhas Ultach Trust was established in 1989 to promote the Irish language as part of Northern Ireland’s shared cultural heritage. It was a groundbreaking organisation and during its lifetime invested over £2million in a wide range of Irish language projects, classes, social events, publications, competitions, research, resources, and education projects.

However, in recent years the organisation had been finding it difficult to continue to support projects at this level. Cuts in funding had made it more challenging to deliver all these aspects of its work. In situations such as these, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland recommends that trusts approach ourselves initially to see if we can help.

Réamonn Ó Ciaráin, Chair of the Trust, recounted,

“From our first conversations with the Foundation we could see that there was a shared set of values. A hugely important part of our work was the support of voluntary activity and our grants programme gave recognition and encouragement to groups and individuals who were working on the ground. This included a geographically diverse range of community groups running classes, Irish language social events and talks. It was exactly the type of work that the Foundation is involved in and we knew that this was a common ground to build upon”.

After further exploration and discussion, it was agreed that an Ultach Fund could be established through a ‘Trust Transfer’. This would see the original Iontaobhas Ultach Trust formally close and its remaining assets be used to establish a new fund within the Community Foundation. Importantly with no need to run a separate organisation, and all administration and governance now taken care of by the Foundation, it meant that there would be more funding available to support groups on the ground. The Ultach Fund will continue to meet the objects of the original Trust by supporting the work of communities across Northern Ireland who wish to use and promote the Irish language, through the work of registered charities, voluntary and community groups

Maeve Monaghan, Chair of the Foundation said,

“The Foundation is proud to establish its first, dedicated Irish language grants programme through the Ultach Fund. As a Community Foundation, we have always sought to reach and support every community in Northern Ireland and it was clear from the start that there was a shared understanding between the two organisations as to what the Ultach Fund could achieve.

“We are delighted to help increase the amount of funding available for Irish language activities by all communities within Northern Ireland and we are very much looking forward to seeing the impact of the Ultach Fund over the next few years”.

The Ultach Fund will open for grant applications in May. The Foundation is currently seeking to recruit a freelance Irish translator, to apply please click here.

Fáilte roimh an Chiste Ultach

Tá lúcháir ar Fhondúireacht an Chomphobail fáilte a chur roimh an Chiste Ultach chuig a theaghlach de chistí bainistithe. Cuireadh Iontaobhas Ultach ar bun sa bhliain 1989 leis an Ghaeilge mar chuid chomhrannta d’oidhreacht chultúrtha Thuaisceart Éireann a chur chun cinn. Eagraíocht cheannródaíoch a bhí ann lena linn a d’infheistigh thar £2 mhilliún i réimse leathan tionscnamh Gaeilge, ranganna, ócáidí sóisialta, foilsiúchán, comórtas, taighde, acmhainní agus tionscnamh oideachais.

Le blianta beaga anuas, áfach, ba dhoiligh don eagraíocht leanstan léi ag tacú le tionscnaimh ag an leibhéal seo. Ba dhúshlánaí ag an eagraíocht gach gné dá cuid oibre a chur i gcrích de dheasca ciorraithe maoinithe. I gcásana dá mhacasamhail molann Comisiún na gCarthanachtaí I dTuaisceart Éireann go rachadh iontaobhais I dteagmháil linne I dtús ama le go bhfeicfeadh siad an dtiocfadh linn cuidiú leo.

Arsa Cathaoirleach an Iontaobhais, Réamonn Ó Ciaráin,

“Ón chéad chomhrá a bhí againn leis an Fhondúireacht ba léir dúinn go raibh na luachanna céanna againn. Ba chuid rí-thábhachtach d’ár cguid oibre í tacaíocht a thabhairt don ghníomhaíocht dheontach agus thug clár na ndeontas againn aitheantas agus uchtadh do ghrúpaí agus do dhaoine a bhí ag obair leis an phobal. Ina measc siúd bhí réimse grúpaí pobail scaipthe go forleathan a bhí ag reáchtáil ranganna, imeachtaí sóisialta Gaeilge agus cainteanna. Seo go díreach an sórt oibre a raibh baint ag an Fhondúireacht leis agus bhí a fhios againn go dtiocfadh linn tógáil ar an chomhthusicint eadrainn.

I ndiaidh dúinn an cheist a ríomh agus a phlé, socraíodh go gcuirfí Ciste Ultach ar bun trí ‘Aistriú Iontaobhais’, D’fhágfadh sé seo do ndruidfí Iontaobhas Ultach mar a bhí go formalta agus go n-usáidfí a chuid sócmhainní le ciste úr taobh istigh d’Fhondúireacht an Chomhphobail a chur ar bun. Bhí sé tábhachtach nach raibh aon ghá le heagraíocht eile seachas an Fhondúireacht a reáchtáil, agus riarachán agus rialachas an chiste faoina stiúr. D’fhág sé sin go mbeadh maoiniú breise ar fáil do na grúpaí tacaíochta sa phobal. Leanfaidh an Ciste Ultach leis ag baint amach spriocanna an Iontaobhais mar a bhí trí thacú le hobair na gcomhphobal fud fad Thuaisceart Éireann atá ag iarraidh an Ghaeilge a úsáid agus a chur chun cinn, trí hobair na gcarthanachtaí cláraithe,na ngrúpaí deontacha agus pobail.

Arsa Cathaoirleach na Fondúireachta, Maeve Monaghan,

“Tá bród ar an Fhondúireacht a céad chlár dírithe deontas Gaeilge a chur ar bun sa Chiste Ultach. Mar Fhondúireacht Comhphobail is dual dúinn i gcónaí dul I dteagmháil agus tacú le gach comhphobal I dTuaisceart Éireann agus ba léir ón tús go raibh comhthusicint idir an dá eagaraíocht faoin mhéid a thiocfadh leis an Chiste Ultach a chur i gcrích”.

“Tá lúcháir orainn cuidiú leis an mhaoiniú atá ar fáil d’imeachtaí Gaeilge a mhéadú do gach comhphobal I dTuaisceart Éireann agus tá muid ag dúil go mór le dul i bhfeidhm an Chiste Ultaigh a fheiceáil sna blianta beag amach romhainn”.

Beidh an Ciste Ultach oscailte d’iarratais deontais I mí na Bealtaine. Tá an Ciste Ultach ag iarraidh aistritheoir neamhspleách go Gaeilge a cheapadh san am I láthair, le cur isteach ar an phost cliceáil anseo, le do thoil.