A chara, - I have been following the recent correspondence on the present and future status of the Irish language with much interest. I cannot remember who it was that described England and America as "two countries divided by a common language"? In contrast, it would seem that Ireland displays all the makings of one country divided by an uncommon language. Perhaps you would permit a Sasanach, London born and bred but resident in Cork for 10 years, space to comment?
After too many years of prevarication, I finally signed up last September for one of the excellent courses in Irish for Absolute Beginners offered by Ionad na Gaeilge Labhartha at UCC. That I have managed in any small degree to obtain my own cupla focal owes considerably more to the patience, skill and enthusiasm of the instructors than to any linguistic ability of mine. So why have I put myself to this considerable additional work in order to learn a language that many of your correspondents would have me believe is redundant and on its last legs? Certainly, it is not simply so that I can enjoy the craic in the pub when I next visit a Gaeltacht area!
No, the ability to exchange a few words in Irish is probably the least of my reasons for joining the class. There is very much more to a language than simply the words that it employs: words are just symbols for the multiple nuances that lie below the surface. After a mere six months of study, I already feel I understand my Irish friends and colleagues far better when they are talking English, because I now know something of the linguistic roots and cultural background that has helped shape their thoughts, images and general world view. Learning Irish has given me a window, still obscure it is true but getting that bit clearer every week, onto glimpses and echoes of a cultural legacy that flavours almost every aspect of daily life on this island.
From where I sit, this alone makes the effort of learning and preserving the Irish language more than worthwhile. - Is mise,
Darius Bartlett, College View, Midleton, Co Cork