A chara, – On the subject of the provision of State services through Irish, Victoria Madigan writes, “many Irish speakers live outside the greater Dublin area”, while government departments are mainly in Dublin (Letters, March 18th).
She may be underestimating the numbers of Irish speakers in the greater Dublin area. There were 10,271 students in primary Gaelscoileanna in Co Dublin in 2019, while 4,086 students were attending post-primary Gaelcholáistí.
This sector has been flourishing since the 1970s and it is safe to estimate that anything up to a quarter of a million people have received their education through our first language, with studies showing that those students retain a high level of fluency throughout their lives. One of the factors which reduces that fluency is the clear lack of ability to secure employment from a State apparatus which has failed to prioritise its linguistic responsibilities to our community. It is time for the state to step up to the plate.
Tá sé in am deireadh a chur leis an cur i gcéill! – Is mise le meas,
SEÁN Ó HARGÁIN,
Uachtarán, Gaeloideachas,
Cnoc an Ghriannaigh,
Cill Chainnigh.