Sir, – TG4, according to Bernice Harrison, has continued its "inspired acquisitions policy" (Business, January 30th) by purchasing Borgen, a Danish show which TG4 is broadcasting with English subtitles.
Harrison further lauds TG4 for other broadcasts in English and dismisses any question of whether or not those shows should have been broadcast in Irish by the Irish language broadcaster with the blasé statement, “Imagine Walter White with a brogue”. Aside from the obvious cultural cringe in that statement, Harrison misses entirely the question that really needs to be asked: why is TG4, established after a campaign for a television service for Irish speakers during which people were imprisoned, so neglectful of its remit that it is willing to sideline its core audience?
Was TG4 created to undercut RTÉ and TV3 in the purchase of foreign dramas for Irish audiences? Or was it to provide a broadcasting service in Irish for Irish speakers?
If, as is claimed in the article, it would be too expensive to subtitle Borgen in Irish, where does TG4 find the money to subtitle almost every word of Irish spoken on the channel into English?
Compulsory Irish is the favourite bugbear of the tiny but vocal minority who attack Irish any chance they get. TG4’s stance shows us that in almost every aspect of Irish life, from Gaeltacht people’s dealing with the civil service to the choice of language on “Irish” television, the problem is, in fact, compulsory English. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT GUNNING,
Bóthar Choill
na bhFuinseog,
Cluain Dolcáin, BÁC 22.