Plaques proposed to honour Donegal families who settled in Baile Ghib - Donegal Daily

Donegal County Council will support commemorations marking 90 years since Gaeltacht families, including 14 from Donegal, were resettled in Baile Ghib, County Me...

Donegal County Council will support commemorations marking 90 years since Gaeltacht families, including 14 from Donegal, were resettled in Baile Ghib, County Meath.

2027 will mark the anniversary of the first families moving to Baile Ghib (Gibbstown) on 10 March 1937 under a Land Commission scheme intended to offer them a new life and increase the number of Irish speakers in County Meath.

A total of 122 families from Gaeltacht areas were resettled across communities in Meath. They included 18 families from Mayo, 16 from Kerry, 14 from Rann na Feirste, Fánad and Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal and two from Cork.

Donegal Councillor Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig has called on the council to work with Meath County Council, Údarás na Gaeltachta and local authorities in Kerry, Cork and Mayo ahead of the anniversary events in 2027.

He also proposed erecting commemorative plaques in the Donegal areas from which families moved to Baile Ghib in 1937.

The proposal followed a presentation to Coiste na Gaeilge in Downings by historian Máirín Ní Shiadhail from Baile Ghib, who outlined the history of the Gaeltacht community and its strong links with Donegal.

Cllr Mac Giolla Easbuig said the presentation had given a moving account of the experiences of the families when they first arrived in County Meath.

The councillor also spoke about a recent visit to a school in Baile Ghib, where principal Éamonn Ó Fearraigh showed him a map identifying the various areas from which the original families had come. He highlighted Baile Ghib’s distinct history from the Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht and its strong international links with the Basque Country.

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DCC's Acting Director of Planning, Communities and Culture Eamonn Brown thanked Cllr Mac Giolla Easbuig for bringing the anniversary to the council’s attention.

“We will liaise with Ms Shiels on how we support the event and promote it in Donegal,” he said.

Mr Brown said a community development representative sat on Coiste na Gaeilge and would bring the information back to the committee.