Madam, - As a new blade in the evergreen meadow of Ireland, I have been following with interest the steaming hothouse that is the Irish language debate.
When I moved to Ireland four years ago, I had no more awareness of Irish than a few words such as craic and fáilte. Now I have a bookshop in a small town and am surrounded by people for whom Irish is a living and breathing reality.
I hear Irish around me all day, in all sorts of ways. In my experience, if daily spoken language is a cake, Irish is the tasty icing and decoration on top. English just makes up the base ingredients.
People shouldn't forget how much Irish is still used, and how it oils and beautifies much of the nation's beliefs, ideals, purposes, conversations and social interactions. Yes, English is the general communication tool. But no, Irish is not fading. As with any language its uses are mutating. It is becoming an excellent bag of verbal tricks and additives, vastly popular for spicing up and emphasising what we say.
We have to accept that Irish will not be first over other languages. But in no way are its days numbered. To help it become even more lively and widespread, it must be widely taught, used and developed.
Verbally, Irish offers a great amount, but I suspect its popularity as a written script is fading. I sell very few general books in Irish because, unfortunately, there's almost no demand for them.
Honestly, I'm not surprised. When you compare English and Irish spelling, and the time it takes to write either, English seems more straightforward. Would it really be too difficult to simplify Irish spelling to make pronouncing and using the script that much easier?
Irish is clearly and happily threaded through much of Irish life. But it won't supplant any other European language. It'll always be a loved member of the family. But never the first-born. - Yours, etc.,
JAMES HYDE, Main Street, Lismore, Co Waterford.