Madam, - Naomi Elster's views on the Irish language (Teen Times, February 21st) appalled me. I too am a 16-year-old secondary student, and I found her assertion that the language is a burden to learn was in total contrast to my own experience. If you put in the time and effort it will reward you greatly.
Place-names, of example, hold a new magic for me. Walking through my home town, I enjoy the knowledge that "Dalkey" means "island of thorns", or that "Glenageary" means glen of the sheep.
Her description of Irish is a dead language is ludicrous. A dead language is one which isn't spoken anymore, by anyone. If Irish is dead, then how do I hear it every day on the radio, watch Irish-language TV shows and speak it in school? Irish is a beautiful, lyrical language, and even the most basic understanding of it is a wonderful asset. - Is mise,
AOIFE CROWLEY, Dalkey, Co Dublin.