A chara, - Your superb Editorial on Irish (May 27th) deserves praise and draws comment. I myself spoke Irish as a first language, but it was so rapidly replaced by English that I cannot remember being a monoglot. However, being just over 50, it suddenly occurred to me about three years ago that language revival or preservation must come down to the individual, and if you don't try yourself, you are fundamentally against it.
I made a huge effort and am now a good, fluent speaker. Having done the deed I feel qualified to make several comments.
The biggest obstacle the language had was a feeling of inferiority about it, when in fact it is one of the world's great ancient languages with a fantastic history.
The day you start at it is the day you will be at your worst. You must make yourself speak it. You have to go through the "I can't say anything" phase.
Learn like a child. Listen to Radio na Gaeltachta and absorb. The school courses are disastrous. They should be 90 per cent spoken and the literature should be modern, reflecting modern life and chosen by young people.
The politicians are the only people who can do anything practical for Irish. They must be encouraged to learn it and to speak it in the Dáil. If none of them went to funerals they would have plenty of time for it. If they don't do so, it's just a write-off. I don't expect that they will, but, if they did, for once they would be doing something really idealistic, would get satisfaction from it, and would restore the extremely tarnished name of politics. We need a Bertie Béal, not a Bertie Bowl. - Is mise,
GEARÓID Ó LAOI,
Merlyn Lawn,
Bishopstown,
Cork.