Sir, - I was very pleased to hear that the British Minister for Education, Mr David Blunkett, is now making the Irish language available for study in English and Welsh schools in the same way that French, German and other modern languages are available.
I am a teacher of languages in this school and you might like to know that there are two pupils studying Irish here, outside the curriculum during lunch. They have written to and already received replies from two pupils in Ballyferriter, Co Kerry. It is hoped that they will take GCSE in a couple of years.
I am writing this letter not to suggest that we are something special (though we do start the teaching of German at the age of four and try to use the target language as much as possible in and out of the classroom), nor to boast, but simply to encourage people on your side of the water, whatever their age, not to turn their backs on this beautiful language which is, let's face it, an integral part of European heritage.
I was encouraged to write to you by Padraig O Cuanachain of GaelTaca who wrote me an encouraging letter in response to my letter in Foinse.
My congratulations to Mr Micheal Martin, the Irish Minister for Education who, I understand, played an important part in bringing this about.
I am sending you my letter in both languages. - Yours, etc., Brian Richter,
Head of German/Russian, Kings School, Rochester, Medway, England.