quote:have there been any fairly recent spelling and grammar reforms in Irish, within the last thirty years or so, say?
Yes, a Mháiréad, there is such a reform of the Official Standard under way at the moment and those interested are invited to contribute their views on various points.
quote:do they all use grammar correctly - are some better than others, or is the general standard quite good?
As for the standard of Irish spoken by politicians it varies. There are some native speakers of Irish and a number of enthusiastic learners who can be relied upon to speak the language spontaneously without a script. Many others can deliver a few sentences if given notice in advance.
One obvious result of the presence of TG4 among the Press Corps (?) is that most politicians feel obliged now to contribute comment in Irish at every opportunity. Most well-paid officials find also find themselves obliged to use the language on TG4 and many reveal unexpected fluency. I would like to think the very existence of TG4 is having a beneficial effect on the learning of Irish.
Regarding giving us your e-mail for private messages you might consider passing on such information to us anyway à la Wikileaks. I am sure we would all be interested in what is proposed and how it is progressing; not to mention who has ultimate responsibility for whatever decisions may be taken.
