A chara, – Raphael Darcy (“Creative Writing in Irish”, August 19th) may be commended for advocating for more resources for creative writing courses in the Irish language, but should also be advised that there are far more literary choices available as Gaeilge than the translation he laments.
Call into An Siopa Leabhar at 6 Harcourt Street in Dublin and you’ll find original fantasy novels by Peadar Ó Cualáin, award-winning historical thrillers and swash-buckling tales by Liam Mac Cóil, 21st-century stories for teenagers by the acclaimed Áine Ní Ghlinn, and adult fiction by Alex Hijmans, a Dutch Irish-language writer based (most appropriately for Michael McCaughan) in South America.
More investment from the government in Irish-language literature would be most welcome, but this does not diminish the importance of the state providing informative literature in the country’s first official language as well – for Irish-speakers, in Ireland, based in the Gaeltacht or beyond.
The only thing that is “gross” about this is the repeatedly gross exaggeration of how much is spent translating (a fraction of) official documents to Irish, documents which I, as an Irish speaker, very much value and read as Gaeilge – especially without any context or reference to the overall costs of producing the literature in the first place.
Let the state employ bilingual civil servants that can write reports in Irish and English and the cost of translation disappears.
Grossly exaggerated is scéal áibhéileach thar na bearta, dar le teanglann.ie, dála an scéil.
– Is mise,
SÍNE NIC AN AILÍ
Baile na Manach,
Co Átha Cliath.
A chara, – Raphael Darcy criticises various aspects of Irish-language publishing in terms of wasted resources (Letters, August 19th).
To illustrate, he notes that Dineen’s dictionary is still available, and wonders what it gives for “gross.”
The answer is nothing, of course, as Dineen is a Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla. – Is mise,
JOE McLAUGHLIN
Midlothian,
Scotland.