Madam, - I read Letters to the Editor every day, but until now I have never felt the need to write back. After reading the letter by Peter Culhane (February 25th), I can't help myself.
I am a foreigner living in your country for the past 18 years. I don't speak Irish, but I send my six year-old daughter to an Irish school. I am very proud of her progress, and I feel a little bit embarrassed that I can't speak Irish myself.
When we go on holidays, people often ask us where we are from. I speak to my children in my mother tongue, Basque, my husband and I speak to each other in English, and we both speak Spanish. When we say we live in Ireland, some people get confused. But you speak in English, they say.
You see, it is not your name and surname what makes you Irish; it is your culture, your roots and your ancestors. To lose your language is to lose the essence of your Irishness. If you don't respect your own culture and language, who will? - Yours, etc.,
NEREA LERCHUNDI,
Frankfort Avenue,
Dublin 6.