Sir, - Tom Doorly (June 4th) is woefully mistaken when he pontificates that Irish has never been "in any significant sense, the language of Dublin for a thousand years". Believe what you wish to believe, and ignore the evidence, seems to be the guiding philosophy of certain correspondents to your newspaper.
Could Tom Doorly tell me does his name derive from Durthuile - a dense flood - and if so, is he living up to his name? Looking around Dublin, where does Tom Doorly think Dun came from, in Dun Droma (Dundrum), or Dun Laoghaire, whence Domhnach in Domhnach Broc (Donnybrook), Domhnach Cearna (Donnycarney), whence names beginning with Teach or with Rath, or with Baile - including his own given address, Baile na Manach (Monkstown)?
Passing through Booterstown does it ever occur to Mr Doorly that we have an echo here of how Dubliners pronounced the word bothar?
Enough about placenames! I'm sure Mr Doorly is not impressed. He would like some concrete, political facts. What if one were to tell him that Irish was so widespread that in the Dublin Parliament of 1541 there was only one peer - the Earl of Ormond - who could understand English! A little later, in 1578, as we read in Hyde's Literary History of Ireland, we find "Lord Chancellor Gerard affirming that all the English, and the most part with delight, even in Dublin, speak Irish.
And so the story continues and if Mr Doorly would like a fuller picture, I recommend Duchas agus Dochas by Liam Mac Mathuna (1991) which is a brief, informative history of the Irish language in Dublin. - is me agat, go buioch beannachtach,
Garran Arnold,
Gleann na gCaorach,
Co Atha Cliath.