A chara, - A number of letters have appeared in your pages over the past couple of weeks on the issue of the Irish language and the notion of compulsion. It appears to us that certain key issues have not yet been addressed in this debate.
The ending of the Ceard Teastas requirement for most categories of teacher is not the death knell of the language, as many commentators would have us believe. If anything, the poor standard of Irish with which a great number of teachers managed to pass the exam led to a situation where many started their careers with little or no desire to sustain or to cultivate an interest in the language. In itself, it did more harm than good. Many, including the Irish language organisations, were well aware of this state of affairs; yet they said or did nothing until now, when it is too late. It is not enough to bemoan the State's neglect of Irish. Rather, a concerted effort is needed to change people's perception of the language at national level. One way of achieving this would be to provide a comprehensive range of language courses aimed not only at teachers but also at the general public. Courses provided at present by some of the Irish language organisations tend to be taught by teachers with little awareness of current trends in second-language teaching. Many place most of the emphasis in their classes on grammar.
We feel that priority should be given by the relevant organisations to the development of modern communicative syllabuses and to the provision of ongoing training courses for those charged with the teaching of Irish to adults. The funding is available for such work; what is required is a pooling of resources and effort by the various organisations, something that has not happened to date.
There is a real danger that the interest which many adults are expressing in the language at the moment will dissipate for want of stimulating and well-taught classes. Some courses on offer do fulfil this description, but there is clearly a demand for more. We can only hope that the language organisations will realise this and act accordingly. - Is muidne, Eamonn O Donaill, Tomas O Ruairc, Noirin Ni Ghallachoir, Aoife Ni Chonchuir, Ailin Ni Chonchuir,
Bird Avenue, Cluain Sceach, Baile Atha Cliath 14.