Wednesday, September 12, 2007
How to make Unionists comfortable with Irish
An interesting remark from SF’s Francie Brolly on Monday during question time:
I do not accept that the rights of Irish speakers should be subject to consultation.
I have to say, that makes me feel an awful lot better about the impending Irish Language legislation. He continued:
A right is a right.
Indeed it is, the right to life for example is not negotiable. Any “right” to speak Irish is in no way infringed in Northern Ireland, if it were Brolly might have a point. As it is, his comments only serve to cement the feeling amongst Unionists that this is not a rights issue, but a cultural warfare issue.
Michael Shilliday @ 09:21 AM
I wonder how Barnshee’s commment fits with the Protestant, Unionist columnist who writes a weekly column for Lá Nua, the Irish language daily newspaper.
This post from Barnshee is typical of the neanderthal attitude among some unionists.
Posted by on Sep 15, 2007 @ 08:51 PMOlly, a chara,
If Barnshee’s comments were typical of thinking Unionists, you should rejoice, ‘cos they really would be fucked.
Posted by on Sep 16, 2007 @ 02:09 AMIf the population at large learn Irish in significant numbers then they will be able to re-connect with their pre-anglicised language, culture and history. This is something which they are not able to do at present since a sole reliance on English cuts them off from direct knowledge of their history and culture from before 150 years ago, a relatively short time. Short enough to mire them in ignorance about who they are, where they come from and what their ancestors thought and did. A short enough time indeed to mould a new mentality, an anglocentric mentality.
It is the instinctive understanding of this that provokes unionist fear and hatred of Irish. It was knowledge and fear of the unique sense of Irish identity inherent in the Irish language which gave rise to energetic efforts by pro-british planters and administrators to obliterate it in the first place and replace it with cultural colonisation as an essential part of the overall programme for colonisation of this island.
It should be remembered that the last time there was an Irish cultural and linguistic renaissance - the Gaelic Revival - it led directly to revolution. This is understood instinctively by unionists and so they fear its renaissance now.From their point of view, as unionists, they may be right to fear it.
Posted by on Sep 16, 2007 @ 03:26 AMThey should not however be allowed to stop it.
Posted by on Sep 16, 2007 @ 03:27 AM
