A chara, – We wish to add our voices to the others which have deplored the closure of the weekly Irish language newspaper, Foinse.
It was an invaluable source of information, opinion and linguistic refreshment for those of us who wish to keep the Irish-speaking part of our reading brains active in a sea of English language print media.
Where else will the voices of the talented team of journalists and columnists employed by Foinse reach their audience? How else will the community of interest which straddles Gaeltacht and non-Irish speaking areas of the island read each others’ stories in print?
Where will the young school-going readers of Foinse go for the invaluable assistance they’ve had for their Junior and Leaving Cert Irish exams? A linguistic community that does not have regular access to printed material is the weaker for its absence.
Of course speakers of Irish listen to radio, watch TV and use the internet, Facebook, Twitter and so on, just as English speakers do.
But a tangible piece of print like a weekly newspaper helps to enrich our knowledge of the written language, while keeping us well informed. The closing of Foinse is a loss for journalism in Ireland. It is well documented by those who have researched the area of language revival that a journalistic forum is central to creating a living language, a forum which is now coming of age after 100 years of national Irish language newspapers.
We appeal to all parties involved and to those who have the power to intervene to revisit the decision and to search for new ways of supporting this valuable resource.
– Is sinne le meas, DOIREANN NÍ BHRIAIN, FIACH MAC CONGHAIL, ÁINE UÍ CHEALLAIGH, LIAM Ó DOCHARTAIGH, MÁIRE NÍ NEACHTAIN, Dr REGINA UÍ CHOLLATÁIN, DERMOT McLAUGHLIN, PIARAS Mac ÉINRÍ, PADDY BUSHE, FIONA De BUIS, PETER SIRR, SEÁN Ó LAOIRE, NEASA NÍ CHINNÉIDE, CATHAL PÓIRTÉIR, CEARBHALL O SIOCHÁIN, FACHTNA Ó DRISCEOIL, BRIAN Ó DÁLAIGH, MURT Ó SÉAGDHA, DIARMUID P. BREATHNACH, EOIN C. BAIRÉAD, ORLA Mhic ATHLAOICH MÍCHEÁL Mac ATHLAOICH
c/o Palmerston Court,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.