Sir, – I want the Irish language and culture to thrive but the notion floated in the article by Éanna Ó Caollaí that a language condition could be applied to the sale of homes in the Gaeltacht would accelerate its decline (“Gaeltacht housing crisis: ‘I took the seats out of the van and put a bed in it. I had nowhere else to stay’”, News, December 20th).
We moved into the Donegal Gaeltacht in 2014 to a house that had been derelict since 1965. We live here permanently, shop and work locally and pay all our taxes in Ireland.
If a language condition had been in force, we wouldn’t be here and the house would have remained derelict. If a language condition is applied now to a resale, we will lose thousands if we move on. Our positive experience of moving here was featured in one of your New to the Parish articles some years ago.
Many of our neighbours’ children and their friends have moved away to college and won’t return. One told me “there’s no opportunities in Donegal for young people”.
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The choice is simple: allow non-Irish speakers in and help support the life of the community but at the cost of language dilution, or let the community die by attrition. Linguistic apartheid is not the answer. – Is mise,
KENNETH HARPER,
Burtonport,
Co Donegal.