Sir, – Miriam Lord in her inestimable and unique political digest quotes Fianna Gael TD Gabrielle McFadden ('Gab McFadden tries to rescue Irish from SF') saying, "Sinn Féin has kinda taken the language over in the Dáil. I want to take it back off them, because it belongs to all of us."
It is not so much that Sinn Féin have taken the language in the Dáil (or anywhere else in our political life) but rather the other parties have abandoned it.
One is reminded of the words of Seán Ó Cuirreáin to an Oireachtas committee last year. “I believe that the language is continuously being edged aside, pushed towards the margins of society and that includes much of the public sector.”
Hopefully, because of Ms McFadden’s initiative, we may look forward to increased usage of the language in the houses of the Oireachtas on matters like health, agriculture and European affairs and not only matters concerning the language itself. Might we call this initiative “the gift of gab?” – Yours, etc EOIN Ó RIAIN Baile na hAbhann, Conamara, Co na Gaillimhe.