A chara, - Bail ó Dhia ar Anne Lucey who told us recently (The Irish Times October 26th) that speech therapy in Irish is not available in Co Kerry, and that, for this reason, an Irish-speaking family in the Kerry Gaeltacht had been forced to change their home language from Irish to English nine years ago "to assist a child who had speech difficulties".
Here is yet another example of inequality where Irish speakers are concerned and where institutions of the Irish State are clearly to blame. from what I have heard, the Southern Health Board is not the only health board in the country to deny this right to Irish speakers. In one such case the parents, to help solve problems, decided to speak English to one child with speech difficulties, and Irish to the other, who had none. They continued to speak Irish to each other. Bilingualism always works if you go about it the right way and if, of course, ears and tongues are in good working order.
For the sake of a child that family, nine years ago, were apparently advised by the Southern Health Board to replace their home language, Irish, and speak only English at home henceforth. They are not to be blamed in any way for acting in the interest of one of their children, perhaps the most vulnerable. The blame goes straight to the Health Board, the Department of Health, and the Irish Government, that such advice should have been given, and that therapy had been confined to the English language.
Before writing this letter I waited a while, expecting statements from Conradh na Gaeilge, Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Foras na Gaeilge and the Ministers directly to blame. But not a word. Irish speakers must not expect equality.
Organisations and institutions supposedly concerned with democracy, equality, human rights in general, are invited herewith to take a stand on this basic right, an fód a sheasamh go daingean. However, the only action guaranteed to end inequality in this sphere is an order from the European Court of Human Rights to the Irish Government to make speech therapists available for Irish speakers wherever needed in Ireland. - Is mise,
DEASÚN BREATNACH, Baile an Chnoic, Dún Laoghaire.