Sir, - Ulster unionists would do well to stay cool, rather than get apoplectic over the announcement by Sinn Fein that they intend to conduct business in Irish in Northern Ireland's new Assembly. The nationalist representatives will soon discover how ineffective they are in trying to debate important matters in a language that most of them neither understand fully nor speak with any great facility.
The unionists, in their turn, might draw inspiration from a tale, probably apocryphal, about the peace talks held in London in 1921. It is said that at the first meeting with the British, Michael Collins turned to the other Sinn Fein delegates and very pointedly discussed a matter with them in Irish. Prime Minister Lloyd George listened with wry amusement, then turned to one of his aides and had a long conversation in Welsh. Thereafter, the Irish chose to stick to English.
Perhaps then, if in the new assembly the nationalists insist on using a Celtic tongue to emphasise that they are not British, Unionists could use Celtic tongues such as Welsh or Scots Gaelic to show how British they are. Once the point had been made, everyone would no doubt choose to be sensible and settle for English. - Yours, etc., Michael Ghirelli,
Buckingham,
England.