A chara, - Conor Collins's argument against Irish becoming an official and working language of the EU (December 16th) is factually flawed and illogical.
When the Irish Government stated in 1971 that it did not wish Irish to become an official and working language of the European Community, the reason given was that the translation work would present serious practical problems of a practical nature, not that no one would work through it, as Mr Collins suggests. The Government explanation was ridiculous then; it is even more so now.
The reason why Catalan, Welsh, Basque and Frisian are not official and working languages of the EU is simply that the peoples who speak these languages do not have sovereign, independent governments of their own. Like the Maltese, the Latvians and the Estonians, we do - and more people know Irish than know Maltese, Latvian or Estonian. But unlike the governments of Malta, Latvia and Estonia, our Government still refuses to seek to have our national language an official and working language of the EU, as can be seen from the reply of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to a Dáil question on December 2nd.
Mr Collins is wrong when he says that "the EU supports Irish through its minority language programme and the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages". The EU budget line for regional and minority languages was discontinued in 1998 and the Dublin office of the bureau has been closed for over two years. The much vaunted "treaty language" status, which Irish currently has, is of little practical use. Under Article 21 of the EU Treaty an EU citizen can supposedly write to an EU institution in Irish and receive a reply in the same language. But try using the Commission's Internet mailbox form to obtain information and you will find that Irish has been excluded.
Will the Taoiseach or Minister for Foreign Affairs please tell us openly and honestly why they will not seek official and working language status for Irish? Could it be that they intend surreptitiously to relegate Irish to the realm of folklore or, like Foras an Gaeilge, to a disused factory building in Gaoth Dobhair? If so, they should be aware that some of us still refuse to be second-class citizens either in Ireland or in the EU. - Is mise,
DÓNALL Ó RIAGÁIN, Bóthar Ráth Oscair, An Nás, Co Chill Dara.