Irish language at ‘highest usage since Famine’
By Fiachra Ó Cionnaith


I guess I shoulda put that as the heading... more catchy lol

An úsáidtear riamh an Ghaelainn san Irish Examiner?

I think you said is Irish ever used in the Irish Examiner? not to my knowledge.

That's what I meant (maith an fear) and it's a pity too. Cork is a Gaeltacht county and its two neighbours to the west and to the east are Gaeltacht counties as well; in fact, now that I think of it, it is the only case left where three contiguous counties contain Gaeltachts.

A column fashioned in Baile Bhuirne Irish, for example, would be a linguistic adornment amid - and I am loath to say it - rather a lot of aspiring boilerplate journalese.

From an historical perspective, it is ironic that the IT is now the mainstay of the Irish language amongst the Dublin/Cork daily nationals. As regards the others, you could just as well be reading The Huddersfield Herald.

Bhí roinnt ábhar ag Conchubhar Ó Liatháin san Cork Echo, sílim, agus an Oireachtas ar siúl.

Ach bhí roinnt scéalta binbeacha san fastidious cellerman, mar a thug Myles air tráth. Ag cuir Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne i gcomparáid le Mosc Finsbury, agus mar sin de.

Bheadh an Huddersfield Herald cuma liom faoin scéal, seachas a bheith ag cothú achrainn!

Níor roghnaigh mé "An Huddersfield Herald" ach mar ainm samhailteach - ach, féach, tá rud éigin dá leithéid googáilte agam, tá sé ann i ndáiríre!

An mbeidis sásta alt (dearfach) a fhoilsiú faoin bPobalscoil úd - as Gaeilge? D'fhéadfaí cóip de a sheoladh don Examiner.

(Message edited by ormondo on April 23, 2009)

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of positives in this report, but I feel a couple of points should be addressed.

quote:

Irish language at ‘highest usage since Famine’

quote:

Never since the time of the Famine was there so many people with a reasonable standard of Irish.

What does this mean? That over a million people can carry out a halting conversation about the weather as gaeilge due to the so-called 'compulsory status' of Irish in the schools? Even after the Famine, there were hundreds of thousands of native speakers. In 1851, it was over a million and a half. This total includes some 300,000 monoglots. In 1891, there were still over 600,000 native speakers and tens of thousands of monoglots. How can anyone seriously claim that the usage of Irish is 'at its highest since the Famine'. Meaning since the 1840s. Those who spoke Irish then spoke it much more than those who have it today. I can't understand why someone would make such a ridiculous claim unless they were trying to delude people into thinking that Irish is in grand shape altogether. Only in % terms does it make any sense at all. But in terms of the volume of Irish spoken now compared to the first few decades after the Famine, it's not even close.

quote:

According to the Fr Michael MacGreil-led study, the use of Irish is now at its highest point in 150 years and has reached a stage where it can be revived as a viable alternative to the English language.

What does this mean?

There are a lot of conflicting messages out there. On the one hand, you've these studies showing a high level of passive support for Irish. That's nothing new. They've been coming out with them for decades. You've got Ó Cuív saying that 'Irish is thriving' and that 'Irish is still strong in the West'. Define thriving. Let's call a spade a spade. Irish is under pressure everywhere. NUI Maynooth (along with NUIG) was involved in the Sociolinguistic study into the use of Irish in the Gaeltacht. The report said as much. Their research backs up their claims. As does the Census data. As does my own personal experiences and those of others who have lived and traveled in the Gaeltacht.

On the other hand, many of these same people say Irish is under pressure and we need to do more to preserve it. There needs to be more modern learning materials etc.

Notice how the article says:

quote:

research from NUI Maynooth found almost half of those surveyed believe they are reasonably competent in speaking the cúpla focal as Gaeilge

Cúpla focal. Reasonably competent in speaking a couple of words. If 25% of Irish people hold conversations in Irish on a 'regular basis' then it must be in the confines of the classroom because the census data doesn't come close to backing up such a claim. It's closer to 2% (outside of school).

I'm sceptical of these articles because they seem at odds with reality. I would go so far as to suggest that they could be harmful to Irish if they were to lull people into a false sense of security by claiming that 'Irish is thriving'. However, if they spur people on to use the Irish they have and make them feel that there are more and more opportunities to use the language with others, than that's very good!

Basically what we have is a situation where there are many people who passively support the idea of Irish being 'preserved' or 'revived' and who have a reasonable command of the language....but then don't actually go out and use it. Many of these individuals have the advantage of having been taught the language in school. Something that some of us didn't get to experience.

Hopefully this support will transform into more people actually using the language on a regular basis, because claims that 'Irish is thriving' and that 'Irish is strong in the West' are at odds with reality, in my opinion. If they weren't, we'd be hearing much more Irish on the ground.

Don't conflate clichés used in articles with the actual research.

Cúpla Focal is a cliché, which does not carry the literal meaning of "only a few words"

I haven't had a chance to do more than flick through the summary, but it justifies the choice of what a level of competence was.

Fair enough. I'll have to read through the entire report soon. Still, if 25% of people hold conversations in Irish on a regular basis, why aren't we hearing/seeing more evidence of this? One quarter of the population!?

Aontam le Danny. Nuair a ghníthear suirbhé mar sin, fiafraíthear do na daoiní "Do you speak Irish?" agus ar chúiseannaí tírghráidh nó rud ineacht mar sin (síleam), freagrann siad "Yes". Ach le fírinne, mar a scríobh duine ineacht anseo cheana féin cupla mí ó shoin, dá dtéantaí 'n suirbhé sin i nGaeilg, cá mhéad duine a bheadh ábalta 'n cheist a fhreagairt sa teangaidh chéarna? 'S mar sin a tchíthí an fhírinne!
Dá mba leor ráidht go bhfuil Gaeilg agad le Gaeilg a bheith agad, bheadh sé ionta' maith siocair go mbeadh cuid mhór teangthach eile agamsa!

Ba chóir na daoiní a chur ag éisteacht le cuid do chlár do chuid RnaG agus ina dhiaidh sin, fiafraí daofa cad é ar labhradh fá dtaobh dó sa chlár... agus mar sin tchífí an dtuigeann siad an teangaidh agus an bhfuil siad ábalta rudaí a míniú sa teangaidh sin...

Ní leor "barúil na ndaoiní" fá choinne suirbhé dháiríre. Cha dtéantar staitisticí le rudaí mar sin. Nó ba chóir an teideal a dh'athrú ansin "How many people claim they speak Irish today?"...

Not having read the report I cannot comment on your 25%, Danny, but I do know that of the cohort of young people who pass through the school system easily 25% of those attending any school that attempts to teach Irish -- not those schools who pretend to teach it and don't do so or only do it very badly -- have an excellent knowledge of Irish.

They have a huge vocabulary, can read it well, and can speak it well on certain topics i.e. those prescribed for the Irish Leaving Certificate oral examination.

If Manchan Magan's program "No Béarla" had borne this in mind some years ago and addressed Irish people in slow clear Irish well-spoken instead of the awkward mis-pronounced blurted dictionary gibberish that was presented as "fluent Irish" he would have received a better response (except in Dublin city centre and Temple Bar which is a tourist area). His own Irish was so unintelligible and so far removed from typical Irish language discourse that the programmes were ridiculous.

Similar problems arose some years ago when Gaeltacht children scored very badly in some such survey. When the issue was examined it was realised that the survey had been prepared for a "melting pot" city like New York or London, badly translated into dictionary Irish, and presented to children who heard traditional Irish well-spoken every day of their lives but could not make head nor tail of the "translatorese" nor of the foreign concepts referred to. (I suspect many lazy Irish educationalists do the same. Pick up stuff abroad and imagine Galway should be the same as Sydney or Manchester and then wonder why children in Ireland are so "backward". It must be the concentration on Irish!)

The education system succeeds in Irish as it does in everything else. More educated parents live in more expensive suburbs and the standard of spoken Irish is higher in such areas. Schools achieve higher standards in such areas. Irish is stronger in such areas.

Poorer areas have to deal with social problems and their schools have other priorities besides Irish. Paradoxically some of the most famous and successful Gaelscoileanna thrive in such areas. Work it out for yourself and see why it is to the advantage of Irish.

Why aren't we hearing / seeing more evidence of this? Because conversations tend to be private. Because you don't live in Ireland. Because you don't listen to Raidio na Gaeltachta. Because you don't watch TG4. Because your children don't attend an Irish-medium school or Gaelscoil.

Go where Irish-speakers congregate and you will hear the best of Irish spoken by native speakers who have left the Gaeltacht but have not left their love of Irish behind and by "so-called" learners who are just as fluent as the native speakers and who take a delight in speaking Irish and want to transmit it to their children.

Every night in the News on TG4 interviews are conducted with fluent Irish speakers in whatever town an accident or a robbery or a factory closure / opening has occurred.

Now even "Officialdom" -- people in high places who were always supposed to know Irish since the foundation of the Irish Free State and the Irish Republic and who had to pass exams in it to get the job -- are now being required to speak Irish on television. If they can't they are faded out and the translation comes on.

Not a good omen for promotion in the job!

Not surprisingly as time progresses more and more of these front-line people who are in the public eye are found to be fluent Irish speakers.

Where formerly it was a requirement with no purpose it now is an absolute necessity. The pressure is on and the system is working.

Irish is being heard more and more in quarters where the old colonial administrators once reigned supreme -- through English only.

I tell you, no matter what the statistics say, chickens are coming home to roost and Irish is benefitting.

The signs are everywhere on the ground. I was in a centre city petrol filling station the other day and all the signage is bilingual. Dubliners will know the garage I mean: it used to be the most expensive in Dublin and has now reverted to the lower competitive price. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw "CARRFHOLCADH" in huge letters on the wall. Many business premises now have bilingual signage.

I look forward to reading the report.

The problem, as always, is how to translate the good bits into "hard currency". Has anyone any concrete suggestions, any innovative ones maybe?

(Message edited by ormondo on April 25, 2009)

The use of such surveys on attitudes to anything is that, if the attitude towards something is positives, politicians are more likely to perhaps do something concrete. In the case of Irish, the survey is important because there is quite a strong bias against Irish in the press.

Taidhgín's points are also well made. It is hard to get Irish out of the ghetto. Particularly because of the taboo about excluding monoglot English speakers (or less than fluent Irish speakers) from a conversation.

I have made my own experiences in Ireland. And this is the usual exaggeration of official Irish language activists. It could be true that the attitude towards Irish has never been more positive than since the Famine. Shortly after the Famine many native speakers did not transmit Irish to the children and abandonmed it when possible. Today the Gaelsçoil movement intends to transmit it to the coming generations. But the use, certainly no! Galway is undoubtely the only city with noticeable presence of Irish by several pub and shop signs. Nowhere else I have seen such but rare exceptions. I guess that perhaps 10% are competent Irish speakers, in many areas less. The percentage of regular users is 4,5%, taking into account daily and weekly users outside school. Of course, if you go to certain events or pubs, you could get higher percentages. The battle is neither lost nor won. For a viable future more native speakers are to be generated! Nevertheless in my area I can only dream of meeting young people interested and competent in our regional language.
Mar sin féin, tá amhras orm de réir an staidrimh. Ar aghaidh leis an nGaeilge! Alex

"According to the Fr Michael MacGreil-led study, the use of Irish is now at its highest point in 150 years and has reached a stage where it can be revived as a viable alternative to the English language"

The above conclusion of Fr.MacGreil's study is seriously delusional. Irish is spoken daily by 53,500 and fluent Irish speakers number 100,000

"research from NUI Maynooth found almost half of those surveyed believe they are reasonably competent in speaking the cúpla focal as Gaeilge"

Most people on this site have progressed from the cúpla focal and well done to them. I have the cúpla focal of Spanish, Russian,Afrikaans big pat on the back to me!That will be useful when I go to Russia. I have no interest in talking to people with literally the cúpla focal, most Irish people have the cúpla focal meaning they can only say Is mise or Go raibh maith agat .As I've said most here on Daltaí have progressed to a point much farther than that.

There is high level of passive support for Irish but there is a lot of hypocrisy saying they support it but refusing to speak it. In a Institúid Teangeolaíochta Eireann survey of 1993 9% of Irish people stated that in a fully bilingual Ireland they would speak only Irish 91% wouldn't.
Is the glass half empty of half full?

Actually Irish language is thriving in many area's such as

Media-RnaG,TG4,Raidió Fáilte in Belfast,Raidió na Life in Dublin, Online Irish magazines Nós and Beo, Online news services Nuacht 24 and Gaelport, Daltaí and other excellent learner websites

Schools 8% of Primary schools are Irish medium schools in the Republic an excellent achievement and approx 2% of second level

There are now third level Irish medium institutions Acadamh na hOllscoilaíochta Gaeilge in An Cheathrú Rua and Gaoth Dóbhair

A golden age of Irish language writing in poetry and novels

A Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast officially recognised, A Gaeltacht of 40 houses to be built in Ballymun by the end of this year.

The blocks are all in place now the next logical step is a huge amount of parents making the decision to have Irish speaking families.

quote:

If Manchan Magan's program "No Béarla" had borne this in mind some years ago and addressed Irish people in slow clear Irish well-spoken instead of the awkward mis-pronounced blurted dictionary gibberish that was presented as "fluent Irish" he would have received a better response (except in Dublin city centre and Temple Bar which is a tourist area). His own Irish was so unintelligible and so far removed from typical Irish language discourse that the programmes were ridiculous.

Aontam leat go hiomlán !!!

Go raibh maith agat, Lughaidh.

Geallaim go mbeidh sé seo gearr: On a visit to North Wales long ago an English couple in the hotel told me about the locals in the pub "They switch to Welsh when we come in. They don't speak it otherwise." In my mind I asked myself "How then does it happen that they know the language? Somebody must be speaking it when that English couple are not around!" Surely the same applies to Irish.

I wonder how well are the Welsh protecting and promoting their language?

Taidhgín,

I'm trying to square this figure of 25% with the census data (involving close to 4 million people...as opposed to a sample of some 1,000 or so) which shows that about 2% speak Irish daily outside of school. That's why I ask rhetorically if most of the Irish spoken is taking place within the confines of the schools.

quote:

Go where Irish-speakers congregate and you will hear the best of Irish spoken by native speakers who have left the Gaeltacht but have not left their love of Irish behind and by "so-called" learners who are just as fluent as the native speakers and who take a delight in speaking Irish and want to transmit it to their children

Well yes. Of course. But if 1 in 4 Irish people speak Irish on a 'regular basis' one wouldn't have to seek it out. It would just 'be there', surely? I've heard more Polish than Irish, not just in Dublin, but in Galway, Cork, Dingle, Bray, Killarney, Tralee and Letterkenny too. That's one reason why I think this figure of 25% isn't credible. 1 in 4!?

quote:

Why aren't we hearing / seeing more evidence of this? Because conversations tend to be private.

If Irish was thriving, it wouldn't be a 'private' language. That's a hurdle that must be overcome for Irish to be a 'thriving' language, in my opinion.

quote:

Because you don't live in Ireland.

No, but I did at one time. I've lived in the fíor-ghaeltacht and the contrast between there and everywhere else is stark. And even there, English is always present.

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Because you don't listen to Raidio na Gaeltachta.

Yes I do. But using RnaG as an example doesn't make much sense. Of course one hears Irish on an Irish language radio station. RnaG has had thousands of guests over the years. How is that evidence that more than 2% of people speak it habitually?

quote:

Because you don't watch TG4.

Yes I do. I watched it all the time when I lived in Kerry.

Thanks to TG4.tv, I watch it online.

quote:

I tell you, no matter what the statistics say, chickens are coming home to roost and Irish is benefitting.

That's good. I get the impression that you think I'm trying to rain on your parade. I'm not. Apologies if I've misinterpreted your tone. If 1 in 4 Irish people speak Irish on a regular basis, one would hear more of it. Period. You wouldn't have to be part of the club so to speak to hear it, if that were the case. Just as one doesn't have to understand Polish to realise that it's now probably the second or third most widely spoken language in Ireland. If my opinion isn't good enough because I'm not an Irish citizen, then I can refer you to the many people who I've had heated 'debates' with who claim they've never heard Irish on the streets of Dublin in their entire lives! Which is utter bs, in my opinion.
Or the disgruntled Irish speaking woman (!!!) in Dún Chaoin who said that Irish 'won't be a living language anymore' twenty years from now. This coming from someone who raised her kids solely through Irish in the 80s. And I, the blow-in with crap Irish, argued in defense of the language and how it would persevere...(although in what form?)

My views are shaped by my own experiences there combined with various studies and census data and the experiences of others who have an interest in the subject. I'll question any stat which seems way off base, whether it's 'positive' for Irish or 'negative'. The reality, as many people said to me when I was there, is that I've seen more of Ireland than most Irish people. I've been fortunate. I've probably spent more time in the Gaeltachtaí than most Dubs. That doesn't change the fact that your Irish puts mine to shame. If it seems like I'm tooting my own horn, that's not my intention. What I mean is that my views, in the main, aren't based on second or third hand information.

I question the figure of 25%. What I don't question is that Irish is experiencing something of a mini-resurgence throughout the country. Maybe more than that. There's a palpable forward momentum driving it onwards right now. I certainly sense it. There are still obstacles. You mention private conversations and going to places where Irish speakers congregate. Irish medium schools etc. If the day comes where Irish is just 'there' on the streets and in the halls and shops...and not something that has to be sought out...then it will be a great day...when Irish is unexceptional and just there to be used in the way most widely spoken languages are.

I question the figure of 25%.

And you mightn't be certain that you'd get an answer as Gaeilge, is that what you mean?

I believe it is fabulous that 25% of the people can speak Irish fairly fluently.

If it were possible to achieve and consolidate the goal that 25% of the population could and would speak Irish as a parallel language that would indeed be fabulous, this time in the more positive sense.

I consider, though, that a target of about half that percentage would be achievable and would be a very good result if actually achieved as long as that 12% attained a level of proficiency that would allow them to use Irish in everyday situations. This would mean that in a town of 5,000 inhabitants about 600 would be proficient speakers who would have the confidence and linguistic robustness to, say, "cluster" on the street, in the shop, in the workplace and in the pub and speak Irish to one another fluently, naturally and without feelings of ashamed self-consciousness - just like the non-English speaking people do (even in my own case I find that I can speak German to German speakers in Ireland completely without any sense of embarassment but I feel self-conscious speaking Irish outside the Gaeltacht-type situation).

After a time, these "clusters" would feel so natural and confident that they would not be stunned into silence by the first Mono-Anglophone who butts into the conversation to impose his linguistic level of ability on the proceedings.

Maybe aiming too high is not the best policy as regards achieving something concrete and sustainable.

quote:

when Irish is unexceptional and just there to be used in the way most widely spoken languages are.

Amen.

The only thing I would read out of the 1 in 4 "competent" speakers is that there is broad support for the language. Effectively mobilising that is the difficulty.

It bears repeating that this was a study of attitudes, not competence. That is a study I'd love to see!

There was another survey long ago the CLAR -- something about Language Attitude Research -- and the impression it made on me at the time was the 1/3 of the population in the south were staunchly against anything relating to Irish. One third were neutral or canny enough not to express an opinion or hadn't thought about it etc and the rest inclined to be sort of in favour. Both sides claimed the "neutrals" as their own and came up with two thirds. That seems to have all changed in recent years due to the increase in exposure to Irish provided by the media.

To be honest I should not be taking part in a discussion based on Statistics because back in the days of Ó Donabháin and Ó Comhraí there were plenty of Irish-speakers eager to shed the langauge and no scholars able to read or write it. Now there are a huge number of people who claim to be bilingual and plenty of scholars at home and abroad. That's an improvement. Many of the bilinguals want to transmit the language to their children and that's an improvement. I don't know anything about statistics but if what happened in our family over the last two or three generations has happened in other families there is a linguistic bog fire smouldering away and waiting for a gust of imaginative support to bring it to life.

The census returns were always accepted as no more than an indication of wishful thinking yet the figures went up and up continuously.

Maynooth College is developing the TEG -- An Teastas Eorpach Gaeilge -- and that will provide a slat tomhais by which to evaluate the level of competence possessed by people.

I suppose what astonishes me is that instead of being ashamed of it our extended family are supportive and proud to know it. That's a change from Daniel O'Connell's witness without a sigh the death of the Irish language attitude. Whether it is widespread enough to make any difference is the question. Fr McGréil survey seems to indicate that it is. And I say "go maith".

But the "Gaeltacht Quarter" in Belfast and similar developments are not Gaeltachtaí. There are no native speakers there. You can call them Gaeltachtaí if you want, but we shouldn't remove the focus from keeping up native, traditional Irish in the real Gaeltacht. A Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast is no different from creating a street in Belfast where everyone agrees to talk in Latin. It is not the real McCoy.

And as much as people here will howl in response, that is the real problem. For people in most of Ireland the suggestion that they should all suddenly start talking in Irish is as unrealistic as the suggestion they should bring up their children in Latin. Unless you understand that, you will inevitably be devising schemes to force them to speak in Irish.

But in a free country, you cannot force your choice on others. The truth is, learning Irish is a hobby. And you can't make other people join in your hobby.

Now in the Gaeltacht it is not just a hobby. It is, or should be, just the local culture. That is why it should have been preserved better there. The best way to go about it is to ensure that all schools in the existing Gaeltachtaí teach through Irish. It should be taught as an L1, first language, in the Gaeltacht. Of course the parents there want their children to learn English, but at least 50% of the subjects on the curriculum should be taught exclusively in Irish. Children who cannot speak Irish in a Gaeltacht school should be sent for remedial education.

When the Gaeltacht has fully disappeared, the idea of Gaelscoileanna anywhere in the country will be highly questionable. The media are already questioning the spending on Irish as Aonghus has pointed out. A network of schools teaching a language spoken in not a single village of Ireland as a community language - that would have to be very politically controversial. As traditional Irish disappears, and all that is left is the "Standard Irish" of the Galltacht, then a language will be being taught which has no genuine native speakers - exactly like Latin was the language of schools in Europe for 1000 years after the language stopped being spoken. At some point, political will to teach the language and pass it on like that is going to disintegrate.

No Gaeltacht, No Irish. That's a no-brainer.

quote:

No Gaeltacht, No Irish. That's a no-brainer.

Faraor, sin eithne na ceiste. Ach No Irish in the Galltacht - no support for the Gaeltacht. Sin no brainer eile.

Tá an dá rud i gceist.

One could argument like this. On the other hand one could also say that knowledge of Irish remains part of the general education for Irish people as it is part of the heritage. Of course, the existence of native speakers will ensure that new arts will continue to appear by the medium of Irish and that it continues to be available in its authentic form. The existance of native speakers will also underline the argument that knowledge of Irish is part of the general education in Ireland. Therefore it is a challenge to involve as many native speakers into Irish language activities as possible in order to pass on authentic Irish to another generation. It would be effective to involve native speakers especially in activities with children all over Ireland. So a new generation of authentic speakers all over Ireland will emerge. As mentioned often, the problem is that the Gaeltacht today contains only rural areas which are dependent on near cities, except Belfast. So it always makes sense to attrackt native speakers from the Gaeltacht into Irish language jobs in near cities so that new authentic native speakers can easily be generated in cities. Another way could be the improvement of public transports to the Gaeltacht so that Gaeltacht facilities will be easily available for urban citizens. It would be interesting to know whether native speakers of Donegal were involved into the creation of the Gaeltacht quarter in Belfast.

Transport to the Gaeltacht is not difficult. The Cork Gaeltacht is less than an hour from Cork on the Cork-Killarney bus route.

Yes, this is an exception. But most Gaeltachts cities or villages are difficult to reach by public transports, except areas near a city. Irish transports are in general not very developed (excuse me if you are Irish). It is rarely possible to travel to and to return from a neighbour city or Gaeltacht place in the evening in order to meet people or visit an event. This, I think, is another enemy of the Irish language.

quote:

Therefore it is a challenge to involve as many native speakers into Irish language activities as possible in order to pass on authentic Irish to another generation. It would be effective to involve native speakers especially in activities with children all over Ireland.

Technology can help here. I use Rabhlaí Rabhlaí (CD featuring children & adults from Corca Dhuibhne) and Gugalaí Gug (the same, from Conamara).

A lot more could be done.

quote:

Irish transports are in general not very developed

Abair é! Even in Dublin, public transport is appalling. (I use it every day - I'm lucky in that most of my journey is by train).

Intersting comments.

As a matter of personal experience however, I would have to say that to a large extent, the Irish movements in the North are somewhat detached from Gaeltachta.

I see no reason to believe that the pockets and networks in the North would not continue even in the event of the total collapse of the Gaeltacht.

This has positives and negatives, but the positive side is that people concentrate on the amount of Irish in their lives, parish, townland, street, workplace, rather than continually worrying about some townland in Donegal, who have their own linguistic choices to make at the end of the day.

Irish died out in my own area now almost 70 years ago, but that would not stop me setting up a Gaelscoil.

Is fíor duit go pointe, a Ghael gan Náire. Ach fiú muna dtaobhaonn duine an Ghaeltacht riamh (is annamh a bhím féin ann), táimid spléach ar an nGaeltacht mar thobar na teangain - ní hionann líonra, dá daingne é, agus pobal.

Is ón nGaeltacht a thagann mór chuid den litríocht - murab as an nGaeltacht na scríobhnóirí iad féin, bíonn tréimhsí tumoideachais sna Gaeltachtaí curtha díobh acu, agus tarraingíonn siad as an dtobar.

Agus tá an argóint pholaitiúl tábhachtach freisin, go háirithe san Daorstát! Gan fréamhacha sa Ghaeltacht bheo, behadh an streachailt chun Gaeilge a mhealladh ó seirbhísí an Stáit níos deacra fós.