Downgrading of Old Irish

Madam, - Those involved in teaching Irish and Celtic Studies in Cambridge were delighted that President McAleese welcomed the…

Madam, - Those involved in teaching Irish and Celtic Studies in Cambridge were delighted that President McAleese welcomed the fact that our university now offers a course in Modern Irish (The Irish Times, May 5th).

The University of Cambridge does so against the background of a long-established tradition of teaching in Old and Middle Irish, without which this new course would not have been established.

This year, as in previous years, students graduating from Cambridge will include those whose main focus of study has been the vernacular language and literature, as well as the history, of Ireland in the early medieval period. It is astounding and dismaying that students in UCD should not have the opportunity to follow a similar course of study. - Yours, etc,

Dr SHARON ARBUTHNOT, Dr FIONA EDMONDS, Dr KAARINA HOLLO,  Dr ROSALIND LOVE,  Dr MÁIRE NÍ MHAONAIGH, Dr OLIVER PADEL,  Dr GERALDINE PARSONS, Dr PAUL RUSSELL, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, University of Cambridge, England.