Sir, – Fintan O'Toole asks: How can the State convince its citizens that Plan A is viable? Plan A being the creation of a stable democratic state with a reasonably prosperous economy and an independent place in the world ("What makes us world champions at fecking off", Opinion, December 31st).
Is he being a little melodramatic? Not all emigrants leave because they have weighed up the ideological arguments around patriotism and decided their country offers little to be patriotic about: I’d argue that such considerations are in fact quite low on most emigrants’ priority list.
Plan A can be much improved of course, I wouldn’t, and don’t, hesitate in criticising it; but just because some respondents of a recruitment company’s survey said they might consider emigrating within three years to improve their career prospects does not mean that we can extrapolate that Ireland is a failed or failing in its objectives.
As a journalist he is right to highlight our country’s many problems; his call to action to get us debating these shortfalls is to be lauded. However, I believe that on this occasion he is being too pessimistic. – Yours, etc,
JAMES GAFFNEY,
North Circular Road,
Limerick.
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole “What makes us world champions at fecking off” (Opinion, December 31st) has raised in me angry emotions which I hardly knew I harboured.
As a result of the unemployment in the 1980s I have no grandchildren in this State, having educated my children through much hard work and many sacrifices. I am lucky that I can afford to travel to keep in touch.
My anger is aimed at the 67.4 per cent who have jobs but who are quite prepared to “feck off” if their careers don’t improve. I’m tired of hearing of doctors, nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists – all highly educated by this State – who are allowed to “feck off”!
If the State insisted they stay here and contribute five years to this country at lower wages they could at one fell swoop: increase employment, repay the grants and free education they have received and help rebuild the health and education services, which are crying out for dedicated workers.
Make Plan A viable! If it has to be compulsory, so what. Hopefully, this young educated workforce by dint of hard work and sacrifice could “establish an ethic of equal citizenship”. – Yours, etc,
VERONICA WHELAN,
Seaview Park,
Shankill,
Dublin 18.
A chara, – Fintan O’Toole contends that the Irish nation has failed to forge a genuine patriotism due to the lack of functioning democratic and economic institutions. Therefore, “actual attachment to the State is weak”, and as a consequence Irish citizens are more inclined to invest their human potential in other countries.
Viewing the latest wave of Irish emigration through this narrow prism of 20th- century nation-statism seems a touch archaic. Instead, O’Toole might have emphasised Ireland’s marvellous opportunity to construct a new, bold post-nation-state patriotism in partnership with our EU neighbours.
One commentator summarised this opportunity beautifully: “Irish culture does not entirely fit the nation-state, [and as it] is complex, many-layered and continually evolving, the set of political structures that would best reflect it would also have all of those characteristics. The nearest thing we are ever likely to get to that ideal set of political structures is a place within an open, democratic, responsive European Union”.
That commentator was Fintan O’Toole. – Is mise,
AMHLAOIBH
MacGIOLLA,
An Muileann,
Oilean Chliara,
Co Mhaigh Eo.
A chara, – Fintan O’Toole’s observations on the propensity of Irish people to migrate to the British Commonwealth because of a lack of connection with the State are well made.
In most countries a connection with the State arising out of a shared fate is ensured by the cultivation of the national language. In the absence of Irish, why not migrate and give one’s loyalty to countries with the same (English) nursery rhymes, songs, poem, plays and legends (Robin Hood, etc).
An English-only mentality also costs us export markets and jobs. Our negativity toward speaking Irish saps morale. We need to open our minds to the wider world.
Rejection of Irish, no matter how it is presented, is profoundly negative and shameful, rejecting as it does normal curiosity as to the meaning of place names, common surnames and historical sources in the majority language of Ireland until the mid 1800s.
America and Australia are offshoots of English culture. We are not. Americans promoting English is an affirmation of self. The Danes learnt English without abandoning Danish and have a stronger economy than we. Small open economies with educated multilingual confident populations do well.
It’s high time to stop being in awe of the Dutch or Finnish multilingual and become Irish multilinguals. Speaking Irish makes Ireland sound and feel like a regular European country. It is the recovery of our intellectual and cultural sovereignty and contributes to an inclusive Irish identity beyond colour or creed. Such an exciting project would surely attract the brightest and best to stay on and build the nation. – Is mise,
DÁITHÍ Mac CÁRTHAIGH
BL, An Leabharlann Dlí,
Baile Átha Cliath 7.