A Chara, - Let Irish be embraced willingly by 20 per cent of the population, torch-bearers for future generations, suggests Declan Kiberd (Nov 7th). Are there any international studies to suggest that such a move might be successful?
The truth of the matter is that some of us live in a country called Éire and others live in a place called Ireland - and a few inhabit that twilight zone, Oireland. Each of these entities has its own music, its own memories and myths, its own sense of literature, history and geography, its own broad hagiography.
This inheritance is also partly shared in what would appear to be unquantifiable terms and on the subconscious level.
Maybe if we gently eliminated Oireland and all things Oirish from the equation and were left with a choice between the other two? But, really, there is no need to make such a choice, one that could be tragically irreversible.
We can drift in and out - from Éire to Ireland - and back again at will. But to do that we must be equipped with the necessary cultural baggage.
Is Gaelic cultural baggage a heavy load? An Irish proverb suggests otherwise: ní hualach don duine an fhoghlaim.
It must be obvious that the problem of Irish being perceived as impossibly difficult is a psychological one. If we overcome the psychological barrier - and there is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that negative attitudes towards Irish are losing some of their poison - then there will hardly be a need to select a 20 per cent elite to keep the flame alight. There are a lot of learning curves in life. Suddenly, something clicks and we say, "I've got it!" We ask ourselves then, why did we think the task was so daunting?
To say that only 20 per cent of our youth is capable of "getting it" sounds a little pessimistic to me. - Yours, etc,
GABRIEL ROSENSTOCK,
Gleann na gCaorach,
Co Átha Cliath.