A chara, – As a (now semi-retired) Irish-language journalist could I assure PD Goggin that I am one of those who regularly uses the Irish-language versions of official documents and laws.
I worked for nearly 20 years reporting on the Dáil for Raidió na Gaeltachta, and needed official versions of public documents as a necessary part of my work. Necessary because I was reporting for the Irish-language community, which may be small but which does exist, contrary to Mr Goggin’s prejudices.
I want no more than my English-language counterparts get – a version of official documents in my own language, which incidentally is recognised in the Constitution as the first official language of the State.
But perhaps Mr Goggin is a subversive who doesn’t recognise our Constitution and who wants to bully us through compulsion into accepting his monolingual English-speaking version of Ireland. Who indeed is the bully? And who indeed uses compulsion? – Is mise le meas,
EOIN Ó MURCHÚ,
Ascaill Ghleanntáin
na hAbhann,
Cluain Dolcáin,
Baile Átha Cliath 22