LIAM O CUINNEAGAIN,
A chara, - The Department of the Environment's plan to improve road signs is welcome. It offers us an opportunity to evaluate our past policy on the bi-lingual display of place-names.
Most place-names in their non-Irish form do not convey the true meaning of the place named and are nonsense in all languages. Neither English speakers nor Irish speakers can make any sense out of names such as Ballyshannon, Dungloe, Galway, Castlebar, Tonlegee, Tralee or Killarney, to mention but a few.
If the Irish form of the place-name is used, it will be comprehensible to all Irish speakers and to the vast majority of English speakers, even those who learned only the rudiments of Irish at school.
There are strong arguments in favour of adopting the Irish language version only of place-names. The real meaning is conveyed, as well as the reason a place was given the name in the first place. It would be a unique way of projecting our Irishness and would forge strong links with our heritage and rich Celtic culture.
One argument advanced for retaining the phonetic English forms installed in the 19th century is that tourists could be led astray. This is simplistic and is based on the assumption that tourists have a less than average IQ and cannot read maps. Every other country in Europe uses the native form of their place-names and it is not seen as being disadvantageous in any way.
Why should we be lacking in the self-confidence to do the same? In a Europe that cherishes unity in its diversity, let us be proud of our language and culture and call places by their original name in Irish and help keep our links with past generations. - Is mise,
LIAM Ó CUINNEAGÁIN, Oideas Gael, Gleann Cholm Cille, Co Dhún na nGall.