Sir, - Some people of my vintage may regret the disappearance of the old Irish script which we were taught to write as well as to read, and its replacement by the Roman version.
My brother, the late Dr Francis M. O'Carroll, good with computers, with the help of a former colleague in the Irish Meterological Service, the late Cormac O'Connor, as artistic adviser, recreated this script for use with computer printers. There are two versions, Gael A, the style used to print and write Irish from the late 16th to the 19th century, and Gael B, a slightly more modern style that became established for printing Irish in the early 20th century.
Thanks to the courtesy of various people these fonts may now be downloaded, free, from the University College, Cork web site at http//www.ucc.ie> academic>faculties>celtic studies.
My late brother was not hopeful about the future of Irish as literary language and wrote that "the best I can hope for is to provide it with decent grave clothing. I shall be very pleased, but also very surprised, if this proves to be wrong." - Yours, etc.,
Niall O'carrol, Ballynakillew, Ballinrobe, Co Mayo.