Sir, – Kitty Holland’s report (“Almost like a tsunami now: Irish language draws younger voters to Catherine Connolly”, October 19th), contains the reported comment of one such young person – “I did hear Heather Humphrey doesn’t speak Irish. I feel as the leader of the country you should know the national language. Imagine the head of state in Spain couldn’t speak Spanish.”
With all due respect, this sort of argument really doesn’t hold water, since it fails to distinguish between the everyday spoken language of the vast mass of the population, and the aim to reclaim a former spoken language as somehow superior.
Let me put it this way: if the president were to speak only Irish, she would fail to be able to communicate her ideas, hopes and aspirations to most of the country.
We have to recognise reality. Since independence a century ago, we have persisted in the fantasy that Irish can somehow be resurrected as “the national language”, that is, a language in everyday use by most of the citizenry.
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The best the language enthusiasts can hope for is to see it gradually spread. But without really drastic compulsion it’s going to take a very long time. And there’s one other thing. In the context of the pious utterances of Irish nationalists in favour of Irish unity, the language issue is highly divisive and exclusionary in Northern Ireland. Its aggressive promotion does little to promote intercommunity harmony, since (however misguided) it is seen as threatening the Anglophone culture and traditions of those who support the Union.
And we need all the commonalities we can muster if unity were ever to become a possibility. Our common language – English – is one of those. Ireland, north and south, can and should take pride in our enormous contribution to English literature – for a small country, we have and continue to have a hugely disproportionate influence on one of the great languages of the world.
By contrast, Irish is largely an interior language; its use, such as it is, is essentially confined to ourselves. That is illustrated neatly by the fact that Kitty Holland’s piece is in English, as are most of the young peoples’ comments. We can have Irish and English cohabiting comfortably, and that is perfectly acceptable. but please do not set fluency in the former up as some vital litmus test of nationality that has to be passed. If we want to try and gather in all the children of the nation, that is no way to proceed. – Yours, etc,
IAN D’ALTON,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
Word on the street
Sir, – Newton Emerson’s article (October 16th) about cutting off the Irish language from some street signs in Belfast shows the division between sections of Northern Ireland’s population.
Contrast that with the acceptance of street signs in the Republic. I have never heard public discord about Londonbridge Road or Little Britain Street, both in Dublin.
I can’t ever see a Bridge Road or a Little Street. I am surprised that David Walliams didn’t latch on to Little Britain Street for his comedy series Little Britain.
The Royal Dublin Society will still host Sinn Féin for their annual ardfheis. We still have the Royal Canal and the Royal county.
Many of our public letterboxes are the old British letterboxes just painted green, in great working order, with the crown still in place. – Yours, etc,
JOHN McKEOWN,
Waterford.
Sir, – As a former resident of east Belfast I find that the vandalism of dual language street signs is a cause of regret. However, on a lighter note, when the GAA club was being established in east Belfast a few years ago there was a suggestion that it be named Harland & Wolff Tone’s. – Yours, etc,
ARTHUR BRADY,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin.
Sir, – Opposition by unionists to the introduction of Irish language road signage in Northern Ireland was to be expected (“Does the Irish language belong to Presbyterians too?”, Letters, October 16th). What makes this opposition bewildering is the considerable influence the Protestant community in Ireland had on Irish culture in 19th and 20th century Ireland.
Dr Douglas Hyde, first president of Ireland was one of the founders of the Gaelic League, painter Sarah Purser established An Túr Gloine, W B Yeats and Lady Gregory formed the Irish Literary Theatre in 1899 which then became the Abbey Players in 1904.
Both George Petrie and Edward Bunting are responsible for some of the wealth of ancient Irish music in our archives, J M Synge, George Russell (AE) were major contributors to the shaping of modern Ireland.
When the Irish language was perceived as a nationalist icon, it became a divisive issue with many in the unionist community. The Irish language was in fact held with pride, affection and admiration by many Protestants but following partition was neglected in the education system.
With such a rich tapestry of Protestant influence on Irish society down the centuries it is nothing short of a cultural tragedy to observe the bitter tribal cultural divide in Northern Ireland over the Irish language. – Yours, etc,
TOM COOPER,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6w.
Armaments and the EU
Sir, – When I was reelected to the Seanad in 1997 I and all the other “new” arrivals were invited to Brussels to be introduced to the EU.
It was all very enlightening. Perhaps most enlightening was our meeting with the the President of the European Parliament.
He told us one of Europe’s primary tasks was to reorganise the armaments industry “so that can compete with the US”.
As good a statement of an ambition to develop a “military Industrial complex” as you could hear. Another term might be Pope Francis’s “the industry of death”. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN RYAN,
(Seanad Éireann 1981-2007)
Montenotte,
Cork.
Presidential candidates
Sir, – Is it a sin now to act as a barrister on behalf of a bank?
Aside from the other legal issues and constraints, what is wrong with a bank trying to recoup what is owed to them? If people can get away with not paying their mortgage, why should anyone bother?
Besides, the bank will pass on the loss to their customers, you and me.
I’ve had my moments with my bank over the years, but it has generally supported me in financial matters throughout my life. We all needed our banks.
Catherine Connolly’s representing banks as a barrister has shown her that there are good banks and greedy ones, a knowledge that equipped her well to criticise the bad ones in the Dáil, which she forcefully did. – Yours, etc,
SHEILA DEEGAN,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – I read a fine article today (October 18th) about Heather Humphreys in The Irish Times.
It is adorned by an attractive photo of the presidential candidate looking elegant in a garden.
It is, however, rather unfortunate that neither the candidate’s campaign team nor The Irish Times photography team drew the attention of the possible future president of Ireland to the small issue that she did not manage to wear her beautiful Irish harp brooch the right way up. – Yours, etc,
FIONA FORDE,
Tralee,
Co Kerry.
Sir, – While I agree with Breda O’Brien on many issues, I do not agree with her most recent call on people to vote for Jim Gavin and count it as a spoiled vote (“You should still give Jim Gavin your vote,” October 18th).
Any vote for Jim Gavin is a valid vote for him and Fianna Fáil .
The only effective way for people to spoil their vote is to vote for none of the three candidates, and instead to write their own personal message of protest across the ballot paper.
The number of spoiled votes will be counted and will serve as a powerful message to the main political parties in Government who deliberately restricted the choice of candidates on the ballot paper. – Yours, etc,
PJ MATHEWS,
Dublin Road,
Drogheda.
Sir, – Heather Humphreys has now been publicly endorsed by Michael Healy Rae, Bertie Ahern, Alan Kelly, Sean Gallagher and Enoch Burke.
I know which way I’ll be voting. – Yours, etc,
SIMON O’CONNOR
Ennis,
Co Clare.
Sir, – As we cast our ballots in the presidential election on Friday can we please spare a thought for our native knitwear industry? For me at least, a Catherine or a Heather simply does not have the same appeal as the Michael tea cosy.
Good luck to both candidates. – Yours, etc,
JOSEPH F MURPHY,
Harolds Cross,
Dublin 6W.
Waterways and pollution
Sir, –When rivers start turning green and lifeless, it’s not magic – it’s methane and manure (“Which of Ireland’s waterways are most in trouble from agriculture and human activity?”, October 15th).
The Environmental Protection Agency’s latest findings make plain what we’d rather not face: our appetite for dairy and meat is drowning Ireland’s waterways.
This isn’t just about misplaced cowpats. Industrial animal farming is the main culprit behind nitrogen and phosphorus run-off, pollution that literally sucks the oxygen out of our rivers. It’s poetic, in a grim way, that the very animals whose waste fuels this crisis are victims too – bred, confined and killed for a system that poisons the land they stand on.
We talk about “cleaning up agriculture,” but the cleanest fix is right on our plates. Reducing animal farming and shifting toward plant-based food systems would protect our water, curb emissions, and spare countless animals needless suffering.
Until we stop treating animal exploitation as natural and inevitable, Ireland’s rivers will remain the silent witnesses of our denial. A vegan future isn’t just kinder – it’s clearer, purer, and far more sustainable than the waters we’ve clouded. – Yours, etc,
BEN WILLIAMSON,
Executive director,
Animal Outlook,
Maryland,
USA.
Sir, – In response to your editorial, “The Irish Times view on Ireland’s waterways: an ecological death” (October 15th), we can’t keep treating these crises as isolated incidents.
To address the cause, not just the symptoms, we need systemic change in how we farm, plan and think. We need to recognise we are part of the environment and not masters over it. – Yours, etc,
LOUISA MOSS,
Cabra,
Dublin .
An inspiring story
Sir, – Abdallah Aljazzar’s story of escape from Gaza to his new life as a student in Maynooth University (Opinion, October 18th) stopped me in my tracks. What a wonderful story of resilience and normalcy against the dark canvass of unrelenting death and suffering in that misfortunate land.
A speck of hope for him, his family and – fingers crossed – all the people of Gaza. – Yours,etc,
STEPHEN O’BYRNES,
Morehampton Road,
Dublin 4.
Minding McCullough
Sir, – David McCullagh recounts how he was present at the late Queen’s funeral and was struck by “deeply odd” elements (David McCullagh: “There’s plenty of people in the long grass hoping I’ll fall flat on my face”, October 18th).
“ The Lord Chamberlain was going to break his wand of office and place it on her coffin and I thought , “That’s a bit Harry Potter, isn’t it ? ’’
As that particular rite long predates JK Rowling’s novels and films it would surely be more logical for Mr McCullagh to read or watch her work and think, “That’s a bit royal, isn’t it? ’’
– Yours, etc,
COLIN ARMSTRONG,
Belfast.
A remarkable budget
Sir, – Stephen Collins describes the Coalition’s recent budget as “an unremarkable budget”. (“Micheál Martin and Simon Harris are not doomed. Yet,” October 17th).
A budget that sacrifices an estimated ¤681 million of exchequer funds to benefit the hospitality industry while doing precisely nothing to ease the staggering cost of childcare for working parents in this country is remarkable to some.
I, for one, have been remarking on it ever since it was announced. – Yours, etc,
NIALL O’BRIEN,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Learning from Australia
Sir, - David McWilliams writes “In the past three decades, immigration has swollen the population (of Australia), and those immigrants, who must “qualify” to gain entry, have driven the economy,” (“As Ireland has become richer, more Irish people are heading to Australia”, October 18th).
Having had no economic recession in almost four decades, Australia could well teach us Europeans and our American cousins, the folly of naked nationalism and unduly blaming immigrants for many of our societies ills.
One wonders if Ireland had not taken in over 100,000 Ukrainians following the invasion of their country by Russia, would we be a poorer country economically by now?
The answer from Down Under suggests yes we would. – Yours, etc,
TOM McELLIGOTT,
Listowel,
Co Kerry.
Trump, Putin and Ukraine
Sir, – A few weeks ago US president Donald Trump pronounced that Ukraine could take back all its territory currently under Russian occupation and called Russia a paper tiger. Then, after a long phone call with President Vladmir Putin,
President Trump changed his mind, and in a heated meeting with President Volodmyr Zelenskiy in the White House, he called on the Ukrainian President to surrender the entire Donbas region, saying Russia has the capacity to destroy Ukraine (Europe, October 20).
This begs the question: What exactly was said on the telephone call between Trump and Putin? I am interested to know – just as I am interested to know what’s in the Epstein files.
CHRIS FITZPATRICK,
Dublin 6.
