A chara, - The Government should be congratulated on its decision to spend £7 million on the restoration of the 225 year-old Irish College in Paris. We have been negligent in the past in promoting our culture abroad and, as a consequence, have failed to capitalise on the huge economic, social and cultural potential of such an initiative.
The benefits that accrue from investing in the promotion our native culture abroad are far-reaching and should lead to a growth in cultural tourism here in Ireland as well as projecting Ireland as a country rich in a diversity that we can be proud of.
Lara Marlowe (The Irish Times, May 6th) asks how Irish culture should be defined in the development of the college and refers to an anonymous Irish Government official who feels that the availability of Irish language courses, as part of its programme of activities, would be ludicrous "when there is no demand for them".
The opinion of this official couldn't be further from the truth about the interest in the Irish language abroad. This morning alone, the first six phone calls and e-mails taken here in Oideas Gael came from Slovenia, the US, London, Paris, Copenhagen and Frankfurt. All were from people planning to spend some time with us this summer to learn Irish. We had over 2,000 adult participants in 1999, with over half coming from abroad. Irish is being taught in at least 200 venues abroad, including Paris, and the interest is growing annually. In the past year I have visited and taught Irish in Dallas, San Francisco, Montana, Milwaukee and Toronto. Our teachers frequently travel worldwide to teach Irish language immersion weekends and many of the students come to attend adult Irish programmes in the Gaeltachta of Ciarrai, Conamara and Dun na nGall.
The Irish College in Paris should offer a wide range of programmes in various elements of Irish culture and not just language, of course. The potential of this initiative is enormous and I can assure the management and its director that it will be hugely successful with the proper strategy, promotion and implementation. Guim gach rath ar an obair! - Is mise,
Liam O Cuinneagain, Oideas Gael, Gleann Cholm Cille, Co Dun na nGall.