Sir, – The opening question on the Irish language in section 14 of the census – “Can you speak Irish?” – seems to me to be seriously lacking in specificity. The comparative sections in the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh censuses are more specific in asking about ability to understand, speak, read and write. Indeed, section 15 of our own census, addressed to people who speak a language other than English or Irish at home, asks if the person completing the form speaks English “very well, well, not well, not at all”.
Of course, answers are subjective but the information gleaned has important social, educational and economic implications.
Surely section 14 should inquire with similar specificity about our knowledge of Irish, our constitutional first language.
It seems to me that not only those who support or oppose the revival of Irish, but also economists, statisticians and language scholars, would welcome an attempt at a more accurate assessment of our knowledge of Irish. The cost of implementing such a change would be insignificant compared to the overall State investment in the Irish language. – Yours, etc,
DENIS O’DONOGHUE,
Killarney,
Co Kerry.