I don't usually like to give bad news stories about Irish. But this one is pertinent to the discussion elsewhere on new terminology, and gives some context.

Neither Foinse nor Lá sell more than 5000 copies.

A book in Irish which sells more than 2000 copies is a best seller.

This means that there are very few people reading in Irish. Therefore new terminology will not have an easy way of making it into speech.

Indeed, Tomás Mac Siomóin claims that there are less than 200 people who are comfortable reading in Irish.

I see it myself with my sons who are now 10 and 11. There is a lack of books in Irish of a similar calibre to those they read in English or German. As a result, they don't read much in Irish. And then, when I find a good book in Irish, they find it hard to read, because they are not accustomed to reading in Irish. If it is a translation of a book in English or German, they have no incentive to read it.

And they are bookworms - most people don't read much in any language nowadays.


John Walsh discussed this on An Lionra Soisialta yesterday. http://www.anlionra.com/2006/11/28/lionra-102-idirlion/

He mentioned Beo as a positive step: http://www.beo.ie

Sin fadhb mhór. Meas tú cén chaoi bhfuil Cló Iar-Chonnachta? Tá neart míreanna foilsithe acu, ach de réir mar is clos dhúinn uait, ní dóigh go bhfuil a leithidí de fhoilsitheoirí in ann fiú amháin costaisí a chlúdú. Ach leis an fhírinne a rá níl caighdeán na leabhra atá le fáil i nGaeilge ard go leor. Scéal i mbéal an tsaoil é ná gur go fiú is na n-eagarthóirí Chló Iar-Chonnachta, ligeann siad amach a leithidí de mhíorúiltí na Gaeilge scaití a thugas creeps.

N'fheadar

Tá gnó mhór ceoil ag CIC.

Níl fhios agam conas a éiríonn le Coiscéim, nó Cois Life nó na foilsitheoirí eile.

Tá, dar ndóigh, deontais airithe ann ó Bhord na Leabhair Gaeilge.

http://www.leabhar.ie/

Sea, tá pas beag taighde déanta agam faoi seo..

Tá fadhbanna faoi leith ag
Lá - (ró-bheag, caighdeán íseal, soláthar ufásach &rl)
Foinse (Ach ar fáil uair sa tseachtain, aontaobhach &rl)

Ach seachas a leithéid thuaslauite a'am is ceist mhór domhanda é .i. tá daoine ag léamh níos lú agus níos lú..

Déarfainn gur fadhb níos tábhachtaí é an bealach nach bhfuil muintir na hEireann in ann an Teanga A Labhairt..

Ní hea.

Níl bealach níos fearr le cuir le d'fhoclóir na léamh.

Crapfaidh an teanga muna dtagann forbairt uirthi.

Caithfear dul i ngleic le saol na haoise seo, agus ní leor caint chuige sin.

Mar sin, tá todhchaí na teangan ag braith ar léamh agus scríobh.

Is trua nach bhfuil níos mó manga / bandes dessinées againn i nGaeilge. Tá margadh ollmhór dá leithéid sa Fhrainc agus sa tSeapáin le fada an lá. Tá níos mó "úrscéalta grafacha" á scríobh i mBéarla anois, áfach. Agus léigh mé a lán comics agus mé i mo ghasúr.

Tá roinnt ann, ag cló mhaigh eo.

http://www.leabhar.com/comics.htm

Wow! Tá siad ar fheabhas! Is suimiúil an rud é go bhfuil triúr maisitheoirí ann, agus a shainstíl ag gach duine acu. Tá siad uilig thar barr... ach is fearr liomsa Paul Young. Ní mór dom iad uilig a cheannach!

I hope that with Gaelscoilanna becoming more and more common and respected, it will convince more authors of books for kids to write in Irish. I find it hard to believe that only 200 people can read effectively in Irish since we have several of them floating around this website.

I'm sorry that your boys havn't much to read in Irish, I can imagine that this is a bit frustrating for you and I can understand why, though my vague understanding of everything here comes not from personal experience and so probably doesn't count for much.

Beir bua agus beannacht

"Indeed, Tomás Mac Siomóin claims that there are less than 200 people who are comfortable reading in Irish."

Two *hundred*? That doesn't seem reasonable. Do you think?

Braitheann sé ar do shlat tomhais. Is dóigh liom go bhfuil sé gar go maith don fhírinne.

Daoine atá chomh compordach céanna i nGaeilge agus atá siad i mBéarla atá i gceist aige, gan dabht. Is féidir liomsa Ó Cadhain a léamh, ach ní gan deacreachtaí. Is fusa domsa "údar deacair" a léamh i mBéarla. Ach is féidir liom Harry Potter a léamh i nGaeilge beagnach chomh tapa agus a léim rudaí mar sin i mBéarla. Níl a fhios agam an mbeinn san dá chéad sin!

I was at a meeting recently for public sector organisations that was addressed by An Coimisineir Teanga, Sean O Cuirreain. The point was made to Sean that it was a waste of time producing, say, annual reports in Irish, when nobody wants to read them at all (even in English).

I have also heard it said that the money being spent by public organisations under the Langauage Act on translating such documents would be better spent in investing in translating and originating more attractive reading material. (I work for an organisation that, as part of it's work, produces educational materials for children)

The Coimisineir made a good point, however, in defence of the requirements of the Act. He said that most Irish speakers do not expect to be able to conduct their business as Gaeilge, because it is a language of choice and not necessity.

Even in the Gaeltachtai many interract with the state sector through English. By forcing state agencies to provide a minimum of service as Gaeilge, and encouraging them to go further through agreed voluntary schemes, it is hoped that more people will have an expectation that they can avail of a service in Irish, and thus make its use more widespread

Agus oibríonn sé.

Tá an méid daoine a dhéannann gnó tré Ghaeilge le Co. Contae Dún na nGall san oifig ar an gClochán Léith ardaithe as chuimse.

An fear díograsach seo is cúis le cuid den feabhas:
http://www.tostal.ie/2004/viewspeech.php?id=9

Bhí alt sna nuachtáin faoi, ach tá ag cinnt orm é fháil

Re: Suaimhneas' post about public sector orgs producing reports in Irish:

This need not cost them any more than they are already spending. As far as I know, they are not required by law to produce reports in both Irish and English; they could publish them in Irish only if they wish and thus save money. And it wouldn't matter because no one reads them anyway!

A nice point, Kieran.

Except that the "no-one reads them anyway" is not actually true.

quote:

Another publication has referred to the fact that no one purchased the Irish-language version of last year's Budget documents. However, these documents can be downloaded free from the Department of Finances website. One need not be a financial wizard to figure out that it is often difficult to sell products which are also distributed free.

http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=clippings&id=1508&viewby=date

playing Advocatus Diaboli, for a moment...

how many downloads have the free files had?

I don't know.

But I personally know of two tax advisers/accountants who do a lucrative business dealing with customers who wish to do their business through Irish, and I'm willing to bet they both downloaded it.