Is Irish a necessary language?

A chara, – While reading Rosita Boland's piece on the merits of learning Irish, I was struck by how often the debate around Irish focuses on the plight of the English-speaking community rather than the problems of those who speak Irish as a first language ("Can anybody truthfully say that Irish is a necessary language?", Broadside, May 30th).

I can completely sympathise with the former’s frustrations in how the State has implemented its language planning, although I think that if struggling to decide how to tick a box on the census form is the worst of their problems, then they should consider themselves lucky.

It is not as if monoglot English speakers in Ireland have to live with the constant sense of alienation from their own State, or the emotional pain of watching their first language slowly wither and die.

They don’t have clueless politicians – who don’t speak English – deciding what policy plan would best keep their community alive.

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I truly envy them for that sometimes, I really do. – Is mise,

MARCUS

Mac DHONNAGAIN,

An Spidéal,

Co na Gaillimhe.