Madam, - The call from Brussels for a new edition of Caighdeán Oifigiúil na Gaeilgedoes not go far enough. There is an equal if not greater need for an authoritative, monolingual Irish dictionary. This must have a permanent staff issuing new editions at a comparable rate of regularity with the dictionaries published to meet market demand by, say, Wahrig in Germany, Robert in France, or Chambers in Edinburgh for English.
Does the Republic of Ireland take itself seriously, or are we all only setting up an idol whose name is Cur i gCéill? - Yours, etc,
DERMOT MacDERMOTT, Church Lane, Elphin, Co Roscommon.
Madam, - In a week in which you report that there is a shortage of Irish language translators in Brussels I discover officialdom that cannot spell in the first language. At the Dorset Street end of Gardiner Street, neatly chiselled into the pavement is the inscription "Sraid Gháirdinéir Nachtarach". I presume "nachtarach" is an attempt at the translation of the word "upper".
I understand the recent census indicates that 1.66 million people speak Irish. Might I suggest to any of them who can translate or spell that they should have a secure pensionable job for life. - Yours, etc,
PAUL MULHERN, Walnut Lawn, Courtlands, Dublin 9.