What would you do without your national tongue? Richard Waghorne argues unconvincingly that we can do without Irish.
My brother Donal provides a very fine rebuttal on his blog. Donal’s reply is startlingly cool and measured, considering how angry I feel after reading Richard’s post. You should definitely read it.
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It amuses me that those who argue most vociferously against the suggestion that we can do without Irish do so in English. Probably for the reason that if they were to present their arguments in Irish only a timy minority would understand them. I like the irony. What would I do without my national tongue? Wrong question for the simple reason that I, like the vast majority of the population, *already* do without it so conjecture doesn’t enter in to it. It is a
fact that most of us do without the language and are none the worse for it. I don’t use Irish and I don’t know anyone who does. That I think holds true for most of us. Waghorne
doesn’t have to argue a case. It’s already a fact of life.
There’s no irony there Carrigman, the reason we respond in English is that if somebody is plainly dismissing the Irish language as irrelevant then they are unlikely to understand the language. B’fhéidir go bhfearr leat go mbeadh an argóint scrite amach i dhá teanga, chun nios mó tionchar a bheith ann. Ni doigh liom go bfhuil gá leis sin. Gan amhras tá ÃÂoróin i cad atá direcah scrite agam ach c’est la vie!
I don’t have enough Irish to write posts or rebuttals as gaeilge, but I’d like to. I have enough to sprinkle the odd word, where would we be without having a grá for something? Or saying that someone is feeling a bit flaithiúlach? (sp?)?
And I’d agree, we can do without Irish. But can doesn’t mean should.
Why just Irish? There are about four different forms of th Gaelic language, the Scottich form being closest to the Irish. I unfortunately understand only a few of the words since the last person in our family to speak it was my grandmother. The language is not irrelevant any more than is Yiddish or Romantsch (sp?). Let us all support it’s continued use. Ceud mille failte.
TBH, with a name like Waghorne, he’s obviously a West Brit.
TÃr Gan Teanga, TÃr Gan Anam
mr. Waghorne has also missed another point that is crucial to the whole discussion, if it had not been for the irish language the english (known as hiberno english) that the likes of Joyce and Flann o’Brien used would have never existed thus negating his argument regarding english lit. from Ireland.
Maybe he could have a look over the Irish Sea to Wales a country that had almost lost its tongue completely, well Padraig Mac Piarais phrase was certainly taken to heart there. I can’t see the irish becoming so widespread in Ireland as the welsh has become in Wales but it is alive relevant and part of us.
Get used to it.
Sorry for the late entry but I had to learn english first to reply………….
tá sà beo creid é nó ná creid
http://www.beo.ie
Gan Gaeilge nó gan Ghaeilge?