Dingle pupils protest against Irish language lessons…
PUPILS at a Kerry school are protesting against its all-Irish policy, as, according to the Indo, ‘they are finding it difficult to learn because it is not their first language and they are not fluent in the language’. One parent said: “”A lot of them in class feel that they don’t understand what’s being taught to them. They’re having difficulty with the strict all-Irish policy. They feel it’s very restrictive and don’t fully understand what’s happening within the class.”
PEADAR O’DONNELL
Tá eagras bunaithe anois chun lonnaÃochtaà úra Gaeilge a bhunú, go háirithe in oirthear na tÃre. BAILE an t-ainm atá air agus tá suÃomh idirlÃn acu – http://www.bailegaelach.com
There is a recently-established organisation BAILE, which aims to set up new Irish-speaking communities in the east of the island. More info on their website – http://www.bailegaelach.com
Chekov
“…because they don’t conform to certain narrow cultural precepts which he adjudges to be overwhelmingly important.â€
The “certain narrow cultural precept” you are referring to is the, I know, wildly out-there notion that the Irish language should be afforded protection in Ireland.
I would point out that this completely mad idea is a central component of the Irish constitution, as well as one of the fundamental principles of the senior government party, Fianna Fáil. I’d also point out that Irish is the first official language of the Irish state.
But you say it’s a “narrow cultural precept”, so I suppose it must be….
Furthermore, it’s not that I think it’s overwhelmingly important. The importance of the language seems to be something for which there is consensus in the Republic. (And that consensus would be strongly supported by a very large minority in the north too.)
If there is an issue of competing rights, it’s this: the right of non-Irish speakers to move to a handful of small enclaves on the west coast, versus the right of Irish speakers to maintain their language and its associated cultural legacy. I think the moral imperative is to side with the latter. If you disagree, why?
You talk as though the preservation of Irish was a direct assault on English-speaking in Ireland. You’d think the English language in Ireland was struggling, the way you go on!
Can you get your head around the idea that it isn’t a zero-sum game, or are you incurably northern?
Interesting website rg, can work most of it out from my Gaidhlig. Hopefully it kicks off, might inspire the same concept in Alba!
“The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens.. cherishing all the children of the nation equally…”
Yet somehow these particular Irish children of the nation, native of West Kerry, are to be denied their basic right to an equal education in their own language – just because they speak English?
But because of some invisible partition line drawn by the Dublin Bureaucrats in the Gaeltacht Department, it seems that in Dingle/Daingean Uà Chúis these great promises – “The Republic guarantees” – amount to nothing more than stunting our children’s future by forcing them to be educated in a language which, through no fault of their own, they simply dont understand.
“I’m arguing that the simple reality is this: too many non-Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht = the death of the Gaeltacht. That’s just the way it works in the real world – and it’s the real world in which the future of Irish will be decided, not in some semantic game, or mendacious argument about “rightsâ€.”
riighhhhht…. so no blacks, jews, italians, poles etc allowed here then.
and by your logic no dogs or Irish children neither…
RGC, Baile.ie is a very different beast.
Quote: “Is Latvian “relevant†outside Latvia?”
It’s increasingly useful in Ireland
and aside from Lithuanian, one of the most useful languages for anyone who wants to study Sanskrit or the history of Indo-European languages.
However the Latvian government has been aggressively promoting it – it’s a prerequisite for citizenship, most jobs and is increasingly pushing out Russian as the lingua franca. The Irish government though doesn’t have the guts or political will to do what the Latvian or Catalan administrations did so Irish will be dead long before comparable languages which were once in the same boat.
Billy Pilgrim
The Irish governments’ Gaeltacht policy isn’t the issue. Your “you frankly don’t belong there” line is.
My inability and unwillingness to speak Irish in no way precludes me from moving to an Irish speaking area and living there. Your closed door attitude, if ever repeated at a governmental level, would be unlawful. All citizens of EU member states benefit from the “freedom of persons” to move and reside anywhere in the EU regardless of language policy of the destination territory. You can’t keep monoglot Poles, Germans, or Brits out.
NEVIN
It is indeed Nevin! It seems it’s for Irish speakers who want to buy a house anywhere!
VALENCIANO
Tienes razón sobre el gobierno pero el irlandés no va a morir…
“All citizens of EU member states benefit from the “freedom of persons†to move and reside anywhere in the EU regardless of language policy of the destination territory.”
Absolutely true – but does not not mean that the language policy of the destination territory has to change. I’d expect immigrant children to get taught in France in French for instance.
To be fair, I’ve given up expecting Northerners to have a solid grasp of the situation. Most that I’ve encountered are incredibly misinformed.
BonerLaw,
Oh the drama.
“My inability and unwillingness to speak Irish in no way precludes me from moving to an Irish speaking area and living there.”
True. Why are you getting so worked up? The point is, if you move to a gaeltacht, it’s preferable if you learn Irish. That’s all. Simple.
BonarLaw
“The Irish governments’ Gaeltacht policy isn’t the issue. Your “you frankly don’t belong there†line is.”
Let me see if I get this straight: you think that European legislation on freedom of movement is designed to deal with people making comments on websites? My statement – MY STATEMENT – is the issue?
Jesus wept.
Gaelscoils don’t get any extra funding.
Also, this fuss has not been caused by people that have recently moved to the area.
Finally, Dingle is officially in the Gaeltacht but every rational person knows that English is 80% spoken, Polish is 15% and Irish is amongst the rest.
IWB
Enough of your nasty sneering and cultural imperialism, masquerading as liberal concern. You tell me a way in which, in the real world, the survival of the Gaeltacht be guaranteed in a situation where a substantial number of people there have no Irish. (And so would therefore require the Irish speakers to speak English, for their benefit.) Please, I’m all ears.
Or perhaps you’d just as soon see the death of the Gaeltacht anyway?
In which case, you have a nerve, co-opting the language of rights and tolerance to push the ultra-illiberal cause of killing a language.
Darren
“Finally, Dingle is officially in the Gaeltacht but every rational person knows that English is 80% spoken, Polish is 15% and Irish is amongst the rest.”
Exactly. Dingle is a perfect example of what happens when a Gaeltacht area doesn’t take seriously its Gaeltacht status. Don’t get me wrong, Dingle is a rich town on the back of tourism now, and good luck to them, but the town long ago ceased to be a Gaeltacht area in any meaningful sense.
So fair enough. I say let Dingle henceforth be excluded from the Gaeltacht, and let the lessons be learned for those few areas where the Irish language is still dominant.
The last time I was in Dingle/An Daingean I heard no Irish spoken in the town itself but was delighted to hear it spoken in rural areas to the west of the town (Paidi O Se Country!). We can let it die out if we want to but hopefully enough people will realise that it is very much part of our heritage/culture and sense will prevail. The Gaeltachts must be protected.
A lot of people have mentioned blacks, jews, Latvians, Poles etc as if they would have difficulty learning Irish and settling into Gaeltacht communities. Why should they have difficulties? Isn’t there a Dutch guy broadcasting in Irish on TG4 and he’s only been living in Ireland less than 10 years.
“Some people who have moved to the area recently, in the full knowledge that they were moving to a Gaeltacht area are trying to overturn the will of the majority of parents.”
I can’t say I’m shocked to hear someone supporting a minority cultural experiment with a majority argument tinged, at best, with isolationism. Is this seriously what the island has to look forward to? Our way or the highway?
0b101010,
Do you believe that the will of the majority should overcome the will of the minority in this case?
I would remind you that almost everyone writing here has said that they would have no objection to an English strea.
“minority cultural experiment”, very strange view of the Gaeltacht but I must forward that one on.
IWA,
“Yet somehow these particular Irish children of the nation, native of West Kerry, are to be denied their basic right to an equal education in their own language – just because they speak English?”
The state is under no obligation to provide an eucation in English or Irish. I would like to change that. I take it that if you believe that English medium education should be universially available in the Gaeltacht that you would join me in calling for Irish medium education to be available as a right throughtoutthe state? or are there limits on equality?
Furthermore, you point out that the children in question are native to the area, therefore they must have recieved and Irish medium primary education to equip them for secondary school … or did they? Cute-hoorism backfiring methinks.
ffs, it’s not a ‘minority’ cultural experiment, it’s a culture which stretches back thousands of years which most of the island has lost. Even if Irish was somehow revived in the rest of Ireland the links over the generations would be gone.
If it’s not protected strongly now, it’s gone. Forever. There are some nasty small minded agendas in this thread which have little to do with people’s rights to live wherever they want and have a lot more to do with letting part of a culture die because they somehow deem it to be a threat
“Of course the irony is that I support the Gaeltacht areas as a way of protecting and maintaining the fragile existence of a beautiful minority language – and that makes me a fascist.â€
It makes you a cultural fascist, because you are determined to halt cultural evolution to suit your own agenda and you are prepared to be prescriptive about people’s personal cultural choices in order to do that.
“Whereas you, in all your liberal tolerance, would advocate a policy that would do away with those protections, leading inevitably to the minority language being ground into nothingness by the ubiquity of the global language (ie English). “
I advocate nothing. But I do believe that languages evolve and those that aren’t sufficiently useful die.
“I would point out that this completely mad idea is a central component of the Irish constitution, as well as one of the fundamental principles of the senior government party, Fianna Fáil. I’d also point out that Irish is the first official language of the Irish state.â€
And that is part of the reason why unionists will never accept the ethno-nationalist Republic as our government.
“But you say it’s a “narrow cultural preceptâ€, so I suppose it must be…. “
It certainly is. It is the elevation of a certain dialect of a minority Celtic language to a status whereby it defines a people. It is attempting to elevate a exclusivist conception of Irishness by discriminating against people not considered “Irish†enough. This of course includes practically all unionists. This discrimination is an integral part of the constitutional apparatus of an ethnically nationalist state which you nevertheless wish to present as inclusive, secular and modern.
“If there is an issue of competing rights, it’s this: the right of non-Irish speakers to move to a handful of small enclaves on the west coast, versus the right of Irish speakers to maintain their language and its associated cultural legacy. I think the moral imperative is to side with the latter. If you disagree, why?â€
Because that clearly isn’t the rights issue at all, as you very well know and as has been outlined to you in numerous posts above.
•
Quote: “Is Latvian “relevant†outside Latvia?â€
“The Irish government though doesn’t have the guts or political will to do what the Latvian or Catalan administrations did so Irish will be dead long before comparable languages which were once in the same boat. “
Irish Government not discriminatory enough in your opinion! Dear Lord. Latvia is the epitome of an ethno-nationalist state with scant regard for human rights, but if that’s the model the Republic aspires to …..
“I can’t say I’m shocked to hear someone supporting a minority cultural experiment with a majority argument tinged, at best, with isolationism. Is this seriously what the island has to look forward to? Our way or the highway?â€
I think that perfectly sums up Irish ethno-nationalism and the Irish Language movement in particular.
Two fallacies knocking around here:
‘so no blacks, jews, italians, poles etc allowed here then.’
No: the criterion is ability and willingness to speak a language. No criterion of race, nationality or religion is applied. People from these backgrounds can and do learn Irish.
‘It makes you a cultural fascist, because you are determined to halt cultural evolution’
Evolution here is supposed to mean ‘natural’.
But languages are not ‘just spoken’ by people.
The state (British, then Irish) has been directly involved in the extension and promotion of the English language throughout these islands. It didn’t happen by accident.
The Irish state has done far more to promote English, than to promote Irish Рat least if you strip out the decorative and hypocritical use of the c̼pla focail.
And we all benefit from this – English is the international language of science and trade, the cultural riches of Milton and Shakespeare.
All we ask for is a bit of space, and yes, a bit of credible state help to preserve a little bit of linguistic diversity in this exceptionally monolingual corner of the world.
‘Evolution’ would have destroyed Georgian Dublin, and it nearly did until effective legal limits were put to the cultural vandalism of the 60s and 70s. Irish is the same.
You’re full of it chekov. It’s about trying to protect the gaeltacht within reason.
[i]that is part of the reason why unionists will never accept the ethno-nationalist Republic as our government.[/i]
Boo hoo. You aren’t missed with that attitude. But thank goodness you’ve got your own healthy, mature society and government there. Ahem.
Irish is in the state it’s in partly because attempt after attempt has been made to destroy it. That’s not natural evolution.
[i]The last time I was in Dingle/An Daingean I heard no Irish spoken in the town itself but was delighted to hear it spoken in rural areas to the west of the town…[/i]
What I’ve heard is that many people will just use English most of the time in Dingle, even if they are fluent Irish speakers. Especially during high tourist season. Even in a place like Dún Chaoin that’s becoming more and more common, so I’m told.
‘Cultural evolution’ my hole, it certainly wasn’t cultural evolution that made English the primary language of Ireland in the first place.
Cultural evolution – that means at the rate things are going that will mean English and possibly Mandarin and Cantonese will be the only languages in the world in a few centuries. It’s Irish on the frontline today, tomorrow – Dutch and Norwegian? French and Spanish next week? Bit boring but I suppose some people just don’t like a bit of diversity around the place.
“Irish is in the state it’s in partly because attempt after attempt has been made to destroy it.”
MOPing. Actually the newest research suggests the primary anglicising influence in Ireland came from native Irish aspirations.
‘Actually the newest research suggests the primary anglicising influence in Ireland came from native Irish aspirations.’
Can’t something have more than one cause?
The opportunity structure provided in the early 19th century was made by the British state, the Catholic church etc. The aspirant Irish made their no doubt free choices within that frame.
And if it was a matter of choice, then it wasn’t inveitable, and (some) people can choose differently now.
“It seems it’s for Irish speakers who want to buy a house anywhere!”
RGC, barely a word of Irish in sight
But maybe that’s what happens when you let the Irish tiger loose in the Gaeltacht.
BAILE – Barely Any Irish Left, Éamon.
“Actually the newest research suggests the primary anglicising influence in Ireland came from native Irish aspirations.”
I await your link/further information on “the newest research”, since I assume you can back up that statement of yours.
Look, people don’t just give up their language more or less en masse for no reason.
Next you’ll be telling me the average Catholic had it good in the 18th century.
CHEKOV
Calm down. Did you hear anybody here say that speaking Irish makes one more Irish than the next and that Unionists, or non Irish speakers, are not a significant elements to modern Ireland? No.
newest research suggests…
Please do provide more info. I’m sure most here are very well aware of the factors that contributed to the decline of Irish over the centuries.
RG Cuan,
Remind me, for how many years did Irish have no legal standing in the courts? This was at a time when over half the population spoke Irish, many of them having no English at all.
‘….Actually the newest research suggests the primary anglicising influence in Ireland came from native Irish aspirations….’
Yes, and what exactly was the framework for any aspirations they might have? If you wanted to get on in a society where the power and influence was held by people who had taken it through sheer military force and protected it through ultra discriminatory laws over centuries then of course people were going to have to learn English (and even then it had to be beat into them via the tally sticks etc).
IWB,
Yet somehow these particular Irish children of the nation, native of West Kerry, are to be denied their basic right to an equal education in their own language – just because they speak English?
Be careful what you wish for because if that right is granted then it will be the Irish speakers who will benefit more.
You seem to forget that in the other 95% of the country, there are Irish speakers denied an equal education in their own language – just because they speak Irish.
I hope these children win this because then it means Irish speaking children will have the same rights in the rest of the country.
Bonar Law,
I trust you are not suggesting that as a citizen of an EU state I don’t have the right to live in another regardless of the language regulations pertaining in the area to which I want to move?
I’m suggesting that you have the same rights that an Irish national has regarding freedom of movement.
I don’t speak a word of Irish, have no intention of learning yet have the Treaty right (not via directive) to live anywhere in the EU, the Irish speaking parts of the Irish Republic included. So the “frankly, you don’t belong there†line is meaningless.
I don’t know why you would think that. The Treaty right of freedom of movement is enforced by means of Directive 2004/38/EC.
How is a Gaeltacht in breach of it?
As I have said twice already but which you fail to appreciate, it is not a capricious policy. You and I have the equal right to live there as long as we meet the requirements.
I am an Irish citizen and I don’t meet them either
but the difference is that I agree with the requirements and you don’t.
But is for the Irish government, democratically elected by the Irish people, to decide requirements, not you or me.
“what exactly was the framework for any aspirations they might have?”
I think eating was normally a priority.
DAN
Remind me, for how many years did Irish have no legal standing in the courts?
I’d say from the end of Brehon Law to 1922 in most of Ireland, and continuing today in the north. So about 400 years, and even longer in some areas of the country.
Clearly Dingle doesn’t want to be in the gaeltacht (sp?) with this and the previous row over the re/pre-naming of the town.
Also seems that merging schools with different languages was a stupid decision – and compounded by the decision to only teach in Irish that only some pupils understood when all would have understood English.
The problem is not the language. It is the inflexibility of Gaeltacht &/or the school’s rules. Some common sense, like the school giving a transition period allowing English stream lessons while the non-Irish speaking pupils worked trough the system.
But this saga should prove as a warning for the “enthusiasts” who are keen on forcing Irish language signage on people in the North.
DK
“But this saga should prove as a warning for the “enthusiasts†who are keen on forcing Irish language signage on people in the North.”
Please explain.
I have never heard a call for Irish only signage and I have only ever heard calls for signage in ‘pro-Gaelic’ areas, which I interpret as ‘Nationalist areas’.
“Clearly Dingle doesn’t want to be in the gaeltacht”
They get 75% of all Gaeltacht funding in Munster, believe me they want to be in the Gaeltacht.
“Some common sense, like the school giving a transition period allowing English stream lessons while the non-Irish speaking pupils worked trough the system.”
Totally agree, that seems to be the consenus here also.
DK
But this saga should prove as a warning for the “enthusiasts†who are keen on forcing Irish language signage on people in the North.
What does that mean?
As Gael Gan Náire has said, Irish speakers here are calling for bilingual signage in areas that wish it erected. The school issue in An Daingean has no relevance whatsoever to road signs in the north.
“But this saga should prove as a warning for the “enthusiasts†who are keen on forcing Irish language signage on people in the North.â€
Gaelgannaire: “Please explain.”
Fairly obvious – people resist change. Especially when it affects them personally. And it only takes a small minority to start defacing signs (as the Acht anois stickers demonstrate).
As far as I can tell, translating “A1 No Overtaking for next 3 miles” into Irish is not where Irish language efforts should be focussed. Yet that is where they are focussed with the stickers and much yapping on this site. If you’ve ever been to the Republic even they dispense with Irish for a lot of their road signs. Why? Takes up too much space and risks confusion in an emergency situation.
My priority for an Irish Language Act:
1. Mandatory offering in all state schools – ideally as part of a culture class which also teaches Ullans.
2. Formalised plans for the Gaelic quarter in Belfast and a requirement that all councils come up with plans for their own gaelic areas.
3. Cross-community events – linking Irish with the other local langauge Ullans and developing their links to other langugaes in Scotland (gallic, doric, lallans) especially. Make this part of the St Patrick’s day events.
Road signs, translations in the courts and your car tax translated are not priorities and will simply defeat your cause in that they will alienate more people than they help (which is none, as Irish speakers all understand English anyway). This is the lesson of the Dingle school: you can’t force Irish on people. You need to make them want it of their own volition.
DK,
“the lesson of the Dingle school: you can’t force Irish on people”.
But you can force English on them? Gaeltacht area, parents voted overwhelmingly for a gaelscoil, whos forcing what on who, but again, give them their English stream I say, and let an Irish stream be opened in every school in Ireland.
I mean it is pointless if one spends one time ‘promoting’ Irish to those who have no interest whilst disregarding Irish speakers.
The 4/5 of the pupils in the school and their parents deserve and have the right to an all-Irish education, this cannot be vetoed by a minority.
If this minority were Irish speakers in an English speaking town then we all know that they would get up of their ass and set up their own school, fund raise and campaign for recognition.
“Road signs, translations in the courts and your car tax translated are not priorities and will simply defeat your cause in that they will alienate more people than they help”
I don’t think you will ever undertand my cause DK, my priority is the rights of those who speak Irish already, promoting the language to English speakers is a secondary priority for me personally.
The road signs I seek bilingually by the way, are ones which include the original Irish form of place-names beside tthe anglicised form. I am less concerned about other messages.
“But you can force English on them? Gaeltacht area, parents voted overwhelmingly for a gaelscoil, whos forcing what on who, but again, give them their English stream I say, and let an Irish stream be opened in every school in Ireland.”
I see you couldn’t be bothered reading my post, so I will repeat it: “Some common sense, like the school giving a transition period allowing English stream lessons while the non-Irish speaking pupils worked trough the system.”
Note that nowhere do I suggest forcing English on them. You made that bit up yourself in order to have a pointless rant. Feel better?
Note also that the problem seems to have been that schools were amalgamated. They did have their own school, but it was closed. Therefore the pupils had no choice but to attend this school – that you seek to demonise them and castigate them as a troublesome minority ignores that the plight is not of their making.
“The road signs I seek bilingually by the way, are ones which include the original Irish form of place-names beside tthe anglicised form. I am less concerned about other messages.”
At least that makes sense in your last tilting at windmills ranting post.
DK,
“pupils had no choice but to attend this school – that you seek to demonise them and castigate them as a troublesome minority ignores that the plight is not of their making”
Don’t think I have demonised anyone anywhere really. Never have I castigated the pupils.
You miss understand the status of the original schools by the way, it wasn’t simply the case of having a Irish speaking school and an English speaking school.
“I see you couldn’t be bothered reading my post, so I will repeat it: “Some common sense, like the school giving a transition period allowing English stream lessons while the non-Irish speaking pupils worked trough the system.â€
Note that nowhere do I suggest forcing English on them.”
I agree. and I agreed with you the first time.
It’s a problem with a simple solution. Let the parents who don’t want an Irish medium education for their children, the minority in this case, let them go and found their own secondary school. The premises are there – they’re already kitted out as a school.
DK
Your 3 priorities for an Irish Language Act are good and many Irish speakers would agree with you. Scots in Ulster should be put in context of course.
If you’ve ever been to the Republic even they dispense with Irish for a lot of their road signs. Why? Takes up too much space and risks confusion in an emergency situation.
This is incorrect. Some decisions on signage in the south have been taken in violation of the state’s bilingual policy. The National Roads Authority however are reviewing signage in many areas and intend to erect bilingual signs wherever there are monolingual English signs.
It has been proven that bilingual signs are not much more expensive than monolingual ones and do not in anyway cause confusion.
Again, the issue is with providing the correct, original placename on road signs in the north. Most Irish speakers are more interested in this aspect than general information signs.
Chekhov
I think that with your last post, which can only be described as vein-bulging rant, your true agenda has been revealed.
Why not just be honest, come out and say: “Death to Irish”, rather than indulging in passive-aggressive, faux liberal nastiness?
DK
Those are very sound proposals and I would strongly agree with each of them. I especially like the idea of a dedicated Gaeltacht quarter in Belfast – wouldn’t it be a remarkable investment in the future if the first urban Gaeltacht was not in Dublin, Cork, Limerick or Galway, but in troubled old Belfast, of all places? (I know, the Ceathru Rua Gaeltacht comes very close to Galway City.)
But in terms of roadsigns: since any extra costs would be negligible, and given that there are lots of areas in which they’d be massively popular, what’s the problem? I mean, why not have signs in Newry saying:
Beal Feirste
BELFAST 40
Ard Mhacha
ARMAGH 19
There’s absolutely no suggestion that these signs cause any confusion down south, where they are standard, or in any of the other countless parts of the world where roadsigns are not monolingual. As for cost: well, say a monolingual version of the above roadsign cost £100. How much would a bilingual version cost? £101, maybe? How much would it cost to make bilingual every placename marker in the north where people wanted it? A few grand maybe?
OILibhear Chromaill,
Good solution.
I hope that some inquiring journo can find out if the parents would happy with that and what is stopping them going down this road and would remind them that if the shoe was on t’other foot thats would we [na Gaeil] would do.
BP: “I especially like the idea of a dedicated Gaeltacht quarter in Belfast – wouldn’t it be a remarkable investment in the future if the first urban Gaeltacht was not in Dublin, Cork, Limerick or Galway, but in troubled old Belfast, of all places?”
There already is one. It’s more or less the lower falls area and sort of ends at the bog meadows. Not sure exactly what funding or status it has. There are irish speaking areas in it but the majority of it is urban housing, so they are the minority. I think that the local shops make a bit of an effort to put up bilingual signs.
I’m still against bilingual signs – other than “welcome to Newry” or the name of a local street. Brevity and clarity matter most when driving at speed.
BREAKING NEWS
Quite a shocking editorial in the Irish Examiner today comparing Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne to Finsbury Park Mosque, an alleged hotbed of radical Islam!
Read editorial here http://tinyurl.com/2s4hka
Perhaps the Examiner should have been following the reasoned arguments here on Slugger instead of jumping to such a biased line…
Totally agree with DK on bilingual roadsigns (also found your proposals for a language act refreshing).
I don’t like driving in the Republic, and part of that’s to do with the signs. When you have bilingual signs you have a choice:
Squash the commonly-used placename to half its original size or only include half as many places. Either way it’s not a good trade-off.
“Welcome to…” signs are much more appropriate places.
RG Cuan,
I think the Examiners line is probably one of the most extreme I have ever read.
He? is actually stating that Irish medium education should not be available even in the Gaeltacht in order to accomdate English speakers, that the rights of English speakers should veto those of Irish speakers at all times.
The census figures tell the opposite of what they claim also.
Tá sé sin dochreidte! Ba cheart do na Gaeil raic a thógáil faoin cheann seo.
The point the Examiner makes about compromise is valid, and indeed has been expressed here, but the reference to Islam is unbelievable. As is the argument that ‘English must be the primary medium’.
Surely there will be complaints about this one…