Sir, - I beg to disagree with Kevin O'Mahony (July 19th). It is sad but true, according to Eurostat, the European Union's statistical body, that young Irish people have the worst record in the European Union, together with their UK counterparts, in learning and mastering other European languages.
New technology can indeed facilitate faster access to information (and sometimes knowledge!) and this has been happening worldwide - not only in Ireland. The type of information however, and how it can be accessed depends on the mental stimulation of the individual. This is where the problem lies and this is what the Irish public lacks, living in a country that is bombarded daily with Anglo-Saxon mass media views (not highly favourable, I might add) on Europe and European culture.
How many documentaries, series or films from non-English-speaking European countries has Mr O'Mahony watched on RT╔ or the other terrestrial television channels received in Ireland during the past 15 years? How can he claim that Ireland receives a fair share of information on European music, fine arts, literature, etc., when we are daily overfed (often twice per day!) with little more than Big Brother, Neighbours, Eastenders and Coronation Street? Unless, from his point of view, such programmes represent true European Culture . . . - Yours, etc.,
Dimitrios Politis, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Loughlinstown, Co Dublin.