Let's Stop Pretending that Irish is Alive and Well...

[Lucy Chambers]

I think the only time Irish is spoken is when they realise the is an english person in their midst

I mean, on a serious note, any one found a use for latin or ancient greek yet?

[Rayden]

I think the only time Irish is spoken is when they realise the is an english person in their midst

I mean, on a serious note, any one found a use for latin or ancient greek yet?

I think it's the same deal with Welsh.

[aml]

I hear the odd one hear and there speaking it up in galway but sadly it is a dying language...i think as a whole english will become the dominant language worldwide and many other languages will go the same way as irish seems to be going...

[An don]

Well to be honest I can see Kevin Myers pov and Mousey's .As someone thats fluent in irish (i grew up in a gaelteacht) and really struggles to type it, I just think it would be a shame if it died .We have lost so many parts of our heritage lately . Now the usefullness of it is questionable but I dont see why any student should get away with the torture of sitting through "peig"

ps I delighted to see Poc an bhuile post was deleted

[Franken996]

While I'm a fan of Mr.Myarse(sic) he can be just a bit too pragmatic at times. I can't speak Irish fluently despite going through the whole school system in scary Eire & he right that the attempt to restore the language is an abject failure- but the bigger question is why.. Remember hearing an analogy that being taught gaeilge was akin to having 500 quid shoved up your arse...two pence at a time?! Unfortunately it's true for many students. But here's the thing- what makes (broader) Irish culture unique- it's a plethora of elements, IMHO one of which is our Celtic tongue- it's more than subtle influence is reflected on the cadence & synthax of hiberno- English....so even if you don't have so much as le coupla focal
- it's built into the DNA of Irish communication. Whatever about KM's (no doubt valid) assertions about households in the Gaeltacht making a few bob it's deeply ironic that he uses the phrase 'soupkitchen' in the context of this discussion - I'm not going to go on a xenophobic rant- but to know yourself is to know your history Kevin- they probably didn't teach you about that specific episode in that grammar school in the English midlands!
Speaking of which- as I write this from my leaba here in the land of the free, few years back i read an I.Times piece that asked- Q: what's the difference between Canada & the USA- A: " the fact that the Canadians think there is one." For an Irishman abroad who's regularly confused for a Brit , I've found myself trying to explain that I'm from a country that shares much in common with the UK but ultimately I come from a unique culture- part of which is the Irish language.....as a nation we're a bit too fond of defining ourselves by what we're not, perhaps we should embrace more what we are....
It saddens me to think that Irish us dying out & its clear that in tough economic times Gaelige is a soft target for some political parties... But I think KM may be well advised to actually slowly read the definition if the word shibboleth* before casting it as a degrogatory term!!
* yet another ironic observation for KM- shibboleth is Hebrew in origin- if Dev & the founders did half as good as job as the Israelis in resurrecting our mother tongue- this discussion would be moot.

[Buachaillbeag]

bhí mé ag féachaint ar tg4 agus bhí a lán daoine ag caint gaeilge - enda kenny alan dukes bernard dunne colm meaney joe higgins. Níl an teanga imithe

[Natasha]

I think it's the same deal with Welsh.

I think you would here a lot more Welsh people speak Welsh than you do Irish people speak Irish... I speak Irish sometimes at home and that is only to say close the door or do you want sugar, Lot of good my Irish classes done for me..

[aml]

Take another 100 years and more higher profile languages will be where irish is now.The dominant languages of the future will be spanish and english....

[ladiesman217]

Take another 100 years and more higher profile languages will be where irish is now.The dominant languages of the future will be spanish and english....

And Chinese if they keep at it like rabbits...

[corkpunter]

Take another 100 years and more higher profile languages will be where irish is now.The dominant languages of the future will be spanish and english....

Mandarin, Hindi and Arabic would be my guess. Ofcourse English and Spanish will still be very important, I just think those 3 will have a much higher profile in 100 years.