Dateline DUBLIN from COLIN BIRD

Largest union links with Labour Party
A MATTER of days before the Irish Labour Party meets for its annual conference, came the news— not unexpected — that the largest trade union in the country the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union —has affiliated to the party.
The move follows a decision taken by union delegates at their annual general meeting in Limerick last May to seek affiliation for their 140,000 strong membership to the party. When the affiliation comes into effect on January I, 1968, a 23-yearold split between the party and the union will finally— and it is hoped permanently —be healed, While the Labour Party will benefit financially from the merger — the union will be liable for about £2,500 a year in affiliation fees—it is felt, especially by some of the more radically left-wing members of the party, that the right-wing union delegates will, when they come 80 strong to a conference in 1968, ruin their efforts to re-assert the party as a truly Socialist political instrument. The left assume, rightly or wrongly, that the union is primarily concerned with getting a strong representation for its members in the Dail and that Socialism, if it counts with them at all, is a very poor second consideration indeed. The left may very well be correct in their assumptions. But to contend with union delegates from within the ranks of the party is preferable to running the risk of having them looking to another party for support and succour at election time. From a broad national viewpoint the affiliation can be taken as an indication that the fragmented Irish political scene is at last in sight of getting itself into line. Labour and what might reasonably be termed "some of the Labour votc" have at last come together. The party will however be at pains to stress that it has not become a "closed shop" for trade union members only. For the rural and non-union voter to get the impression that Labour was closing its doors to them it would be a sorry day for the party and its hopes that it might, sometime, form a Government in this country. For if the party is honest about its intentions to provide an alternative form of Government it will do its very best to convince all shades of political opinion in the country that it is now the only real choice to Conservative rule; that it is a Socialist Party and that it is most definitely not a political arm of the trade union movement alone, but a mature national party with room for all. If Labour manages to force the political situation into a straight "Conservative" or "Labour" choice then it will have done the country a service and have put itself well and truly on the testing block.
Vocations survey
The Irish Hierarchy have commissioned three professors to undertake a survey of trends in Ireland in relation to vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. For some time past the missionary Orders in particular have noticed a marked drop in the number of recruits coming to join their ranks. As many of these Orders have heavy commitments to the mission fields their anxiety over a falling off of their numbers can well be understoodThat the Hierarchy attach great importance to the survey is show by the fact that they have chosen three of the best sociologists at their disposal for the job.
They are, Rev. Jeremiah Newman, Professor of Socio
logy at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth; the Rev. Conor Ward, M.A., Professor of Sociology at U.C.D.; and the Rev. Liam Ryan, M.A., Lecturer in Sociology at U.C.C. It is hoped that the survey will show in detail the many factors which govern religious vocations in an age which tends to discourage young men and women from entering the service of God. Cardinal Conway, who attended the meeting prior to his departure for the Synod of Bishops in Rome, said that he was happy about the present numbers of people entering the religious life. Yet it must be admitted that if all was well there would be no need for the survey. A reduction in the number of vocations could be an indication that young people now find that the Church is making less of a demand on them for service in the priesthood. Whatever else the survey does it will certainly show how good liaison is between the Church and the laity in the light of the increased importance Vatican Two placed on the role of the layman.
Tinker housing
With winter drawing in, the Dublin Itinerant Settlement Committee has intensified its efforts to have some 20 of the 100 or so tinker families who live in ditch encampments around the city perimeter properly housed before the full onslaught of the winter weather once again takes its toll of lives — both young and old. The work, which was started some years ago when the plight of the tinkers became too obvious to ignore. has suffered many setbacks. The Dublin committee, led by Fr. Tom Fehily, have now, it seems, overcome most of their difficulties in finding sites and in getting the "settled cornmunity" to accept the fact that the tinkers are real people and not some kind of sub-species, to be treated, at best, as social outcasts. With two sites now operational in the Dublin area the problems of resettlement are well on the way to being solved. The progress in Dublin, impressive as it is, does nothing to alleviate the suffering and hardship of the many tinkers -the romantic title of "gipsy" has been dropped—in other parts of the country. it is estimated that there are at least 7,000 tinkers wandering the roads of Ireland; nearly all of them suffering from one ailment or another that could be cured or at least controlled if they had permanent homes.
Needless to say, they are, nearly all of them illiterate and their nomadic life offers them but scant opportunity of sending their children to school. Separate efforts are being made in different parts of the country to cope with the problems of housing and education. But no matter what social action is taken on behalf of the tinkers the most difficult aspect of settlement is in getting them accepted by the people in the district where sites are to be placed.
Irish lessons
Perhaps one of the most publicised national education programmes ever has got away to a flying start in Ireland this week. Bantus Cainte (Elements of Irish speech), an intensive series of five-minute programmes in elementary Irish, have been started both on radio and television in an effort to teach the language to the people.
The series which is aimed principally at the older members of the community stems from research done at the Language Research Institute at Gormanstown College by Colman O'Huallachain, A report was published by the institute in 1966 and from tho recommendations contained therein it was decided to undertake the present course of short programmes.
It is hoped. that if successful the course of 60 lessons will enable parents to converse with their children, and by this means to have the basis laid for the development of Irishspeaking family units. To have the basic family unit speaking Irish in the home is seen as the first step in introducing spoken Irish into the day to day lives of people in their activities outside the home.