What can we do? What is the best thing that anyone can do to help Irish survive in the best shape possible?

Bring up children with Irish (I plan to do this when my time comes)
Encourage friends/family to speak it (yes, doing this now!)
Get as fluent as we possibly can ourselves
Support RnaG and Tg4, etc.

What else? I'm doing all of this but I'm worried it's not going to be enough. Anything else I can do?

Bain úsáid as na seirbhísí Stáit agus araile atá ar fáil as Gaeilge: seicleabhar, Bille BSL, do chúrsaí cánach. Má thugann tú d'ainm i nGaeilge i gcónaí labhróidh daoine Gaeilge leat agus bainfidh tú ugach agus misneach as aithne a bheith agat ar Ghaeilgeoirí eile. Cothaigh caradas le lucht na Gaeilge. Tosaigh ag scríobh. Bíodh dialann i nGaeilge agat. Go n-éirí go geal leat.

A Shinéad,

You probably implied this in your posting above when you mention supporting RnaG, Tg4, etc., but I think the more that Irish plays a role in the cultural, musical and other artistic events throughout Ireland and abroad, the stronger the language will become.

Do dhícheall a dhéanamh le labhairt mar mhuitir na Gaeltachta, agus í a labhairt agus a dh'úsáid gomh minic agus a thig leat.

In order to spread Irish throughout Ireland, the best way is to make it "cool" and to make it necessary, or very useful, in everyday life. Many people won't use it if they don't need it.

Arís, tá an ceart ag Lughaidh ach rachainn níos faide ná muintir na Gaeltachta cad faoin "tae agus suí caidrimh". Ciorcal comhrá i measc tuismitheoirí na Gaelscoile? "Bord na Gaeilge" sa bhialann? Más mian leat Gaeilge a labhairt suigh ag an mbord sin.

Tá a lán daoine in ann páirt a ghlacadh i gcomhrá Gaeilge má chuireann duine éigin eile tús leis. Bíonn scoth na Gaeilge ag cuid acu. Is beag duine atá sásta amadán a dhéanamh de féin trí Ghaeilge a labhairt gan chúis mhaith ach má labhraíonn bainfear stangadh as nuair a chloisfidh sé daoine á fhreagairt. Tá an t-uafás Gaeilge ar eolas ag daoine agus í faoi cheilt acu. Níl ag teastáil ach an spreagadh is lú le Gaeilge a bhaint astu. Ansin nuair atá an coimhthíos díbeartha is féidir an teanga a labhairt leis an duine sin arís agus arís eile. Beidh tú cinnte go nglacfar léi go báúil.

Tá Gaeilgeoirí eile ann agus bíonn a gcúis féin acu gan aird a tharraingt orthu féin i measc daoine gan Ghaeilge, daoine a bheadh doicheallach don teanga. Caithfear tuiscint dóibhsiúd chomh maith. Ceist chasta í labhairt na Gaeilge.

Sineadw an rud a tharla i mo cheantar ná d'eagraigh muid oíche teacht le chéile Gaeilge agus ar an oíche agus muidne ag caint faoin gach rud faoin spéir(trí Ghaeilge) bhí daoine ag léiriú suim in imeachtaí rialta trí Ghaeilge. Bhí cuid dos na daoine agus suim acu i siúlóidí, cuid eile acu san drámaíocht agus cuid eile i gcúrsaí staire. Astu sin bhunaigh muid cumann drámaíochta(5 baill), cumann siúlóide(6 baill) agus teacht le cheile míosúil agus anois ta aithne againn ar daoine eile le Gaeilge agus tá muid in ann freastal ar an Wille Clancy nó an Oireachtas mar ghrúpa. Caithfidh muid go léir ár ngréasán fein de chainteoirí a chruthú más i mBostúin tú nó Sligeach nó pé áit sa domhain.

Anois tá sé ráite agat, Guevara: caithfidh muid go léir ár ngréasán féin de chainteoirí a chruthú. Sin bun agus barr an scéil. Caithfidh Gaeilgeoir a bheith gníomhach ar son na teanga agus tús a chur le himeachtaí. Caithfidh sé/sí tabhairt faoi cheann ar bith díobh seo a leanas a chur ar bun: naíonra, Gaelscoil, club déagóirí, cumann drámaíochta, foireann peile / sacair / rugbaí; feis, fleá, comortas díospóireachta; Aifreann Gaeilge; oíche Ghaelach sa phub, srl

Os é an teanga an príomhchuspóir caithfear gan dearmad a dhéanamh uirthi: más "oíche cheoil is damhsa" atá beartaithe bíodh Gaeilge ag na ceoltóirí agus ag na damhsóirí; más club peile atá i gceist bíodh Gaeilge ag na himreoirí. Meastú cé mhéad Gaeilge a bhí ag foireann peile Bhéal an Mhuirthead a bhuaigh Comortas Peile na Gaeltachta? D'fhostaigh siad fear PR le labhairt ar Raidió na Gaeltachta thar a gceann! Béarla abú! Up English!

English supplanted Irish because it was seen as an absolute necessity in economic and political terms...not a niche and not something that "could be profitable under certain circumstances."

I have no reason to think that Irish can be saved by anything short of that. I fear that, on the whole, the Irish lack the political will to make it happen.

Still, I plug away doing whatever I can.

Supplanted? English was forced on to us by the Authorities of those days. The wheel is turning. Irish is now recognised in Bunreacht na hÉireann, in Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla, Tá Stádas Teanga Oibre aici san Aontas Eorpach. It is taught in every Primary and Secondary School. Children who would never have had the opportunity to learn it in the British time now can pursue it to University level. They can even learn it, speak it to their own children, send them to a Gaelscoil where all subjects are taught through Irish, watch TG4, listen to Raidió na Gaeltachta, and live much of their lives through Irish.

Concentrate on the positive. Leave the negative to those who "couldn't be bothered to learn Irish." They won't become National Teachers, they won't work in a bilingual Civil Service, lots of jobs in journalism and the media will be unavailable to them. Why? They live in Ireland. The only country of the six Celtic nations that has control of its budget and seeks with some modest success to promote its own language, An Ghaeilge Bhinn. Teanga ár gcroí is ár n-anam.

There is a story of an Englishman and an Irish Seoinín walking through Dublin in the 1930s.

The Seoinín spots the new bilingual nameplates on the streets and complains about the Irish:

"Look at that. Ridiculous. How many in Dublin could even pronounce those words."

The Englishman replied: "Maybe so. But it does show who is in charge now."

If it took 800 years to eradicate Irish how many years will it take to restore it. We cannot foretell the attitude of our successors. We can only pass Irish on in better condition than we received it. Ar aghaidh linn.