Guardian article on Irish speakers.

**osarusan** · 17/01/2007, 12:45 PM

Look here for a Guardian article by a journo who is fluent in Irish, and travelled in Ireland speaking only Irish.

According to the article, 25% claim to speak it, whereas only 3% actually can.

I think he goes overboard about our "shame" at not being able to speak it, and the historical reasons behind it, but it is still interesting.

**WeAreRovers** · 17/01/2007, 1:36 PM

He's as Irish as you and me.

KOH

**osarusan** · 17/01/2007, 1:40 PM

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

He's as Irish as you and me.

KOH

Indeed, edited.

**Lim till i die** · 17/01/2007, 1:46 PM

Freeloaders all

It's a dead language. Get over it.

**S�C** · 17/01/2007, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Freeloaders all

It's a dead language. Get over it.

Indeed. Bloody freeloaders with their bloody annoying constitutional and human rights, they should all just speak English, begar sure they all can anyway, what difference would it make.

Lets chose what parts of the constitution we want to ignore today.

Never mind thats it is actually a growing language (not even endangered despite what Enda and his ilk will have us believe), or a crucial part of our cultural identity and history or that well over 100,000 people use the language every day.

**crc** · 18/01/2007, 1:08 AM

He articulates a lot of what I have felt about �r teanga. It's always possible to detect hostility towards the language among some people (e.g. Lim till i die) and I think a lot of people are afraid to use whatever Irish they have around strangers in case they meet someone who will become openly hostile with them (as was the case with Manch�n Magan in Dublin). Its just easier to speak as Bearla and not invite any hostility.

He's also correct about people underestimating the amount of Irish they actually do have. I've even been into the caf� on Kildare St (is it called tr� D, or something?) and was too afraid to ask for a sandwich in Irish just because I couldn't remember the Irish for "sandwich" ( I could have said "ba mhaith liom sandwich, le do thoil" but somehow it was just easier to ask for it in English).

Even when I spent a weekend on Inism�r I didn't speak a word of Irish to any of the locals because I was afraid they might think I was trying to patronise them (though when we ran out of alcohol on the beach at 1am, I did shout "C� bhfuil an vodka?")

All of which is completely retarded to be honest, as I speak better Irish than I do German or Spanish, but I've had full blown two/three minute conversations with shop assistants in Bremen with my very basic couple of German phrases, and when lost up the side of a mountain driving in Catalonia I successfully asked for directions in a curious mix of Spanish-Catalan-Italian without any of the local seeming to mind (or find it an obstacle to communication / navigation).

**Dodge** · 18/01/2007, 6:16 AM

DO Irish speakers get free stuff? I'd make more of an effort if so...

I can never understand the hostility towards it.

**noby** · 18/01/2007, 7:32 AM

I only saw a small piece of the program in question, but from what I saw, and other people's opinion, he seems to go about the whole thing with a bit of an attitude. If you stand in the middle of the street and start shouting, no-one is going to want to help you, no matter the language.

**S�C** · 18/01/2007, 8:57 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

DO Irish speakers get free stuff? I'd make more of an effort if so...

I can never understand the hostility towards it.

Yea lots of free stuff.

I think they get any of the free cars and mobile phones that the asylum seekers dont want.

Maybe people resent the language because they cant speak it despite having to learn it for nearly 15 years. Refrom of the method of education will and is going a long way

**John83** · 18/01/2007, 9:41 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

DO Irish speakers get free stuff? I'd make more of an effort if so...

I can never understand the hostility towards it.

I used to be a bit hostile towards it. I think it's just an institutionalised thing from disliking the subject at school, thinking it pointless. A lot of people never grow out of that. There's also a reaction to a perceived arrogance from Irish speakers.

Regardless of all that, I think it's pretty understandable to be opposed to the EU thing - it's a substantial public expenditure for no gain.

**paul_oshea** · 18/01/2007, 10:24 AM

Even when I spent a weekend on Inism�r I didn't speak a word of Irish to any of the locals because I was afraid they might think I was trying to patronise them

actually you do get inverted patronisation from those speakers, I know quite a few lads from carraroe, and they laugh at my mates from school who were getting a's and b's in higher level irish, as not being able to speak proper irish. Thats what really makes it intimidating. They do look down on us.

**WeAreRovers** · 18/01/2007, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by S�C

I think they get any of the free cars and mobile phones that the asylum seekers dont want.

Would that be Irish-speaking asylum seekers or the feckless lot who insist on speaking English and their native tongue?

KOH

**Lim till i die** · 18/01/2007, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

DO Irish speakers get free stuff? I'd make more of an effort if so...

I can never understand the hostility towards it.

Extra points for doing your leaving cert through Irish

Grants for living in the Gaeltacht.

**Dodge** · 18/01/2007, 11:49 AM

You're right Lim! Irish Speakers OUT!!!!!

**Lim till i die** · 18/01/2007, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

You're right Lim! Irish Speakers OUT!!!!!

See, I knew I'd win you over

Now for my next pet hate, Northerners. Anyone with me??

**pineapple stu** · 18/01/2007, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by crc

�r teanga.

�r dteanga. I gcona� or� nach "�r"

Can't argue with the rest of the post though.

Hostility towards Irish is just sad, to be honest, and really is people continuing to harbour their school-attitude towards it. I'd love to see the works of, say, JK Rowling, Agatha Christie, JRR Tolkein and other popular authors translated into Irish (I've heard you can get Harry Potter in Irish, but have never seen it) and distribute them to schools and the likes - get people into Irish at a younger age by making it cool.

People will be quite happy to hate the Brits for 800 years of hurt and so forth, but then hate the language that was forcibly beaten out of us at that time?

**crc** · 18/01/2007, 4:23 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

�r dteanga. I gcona� or� nach "�r"

I could spend all day every day picking holes in the way people spell and use English on this forum, but somehow I manage to restrain myself!

Originally Posted by PINEAPPLE STU

...I've heard you can get Harry Potter in Irish, but have never seen it...

I bought a copy of HP in Irish in Shannon Airport a year or two ago. I don't even like HP, but was pleased to see that a fairly modern piece had been translated. I didn't get to read it though; my sister gave it away to her friend as a birthday present before I got a chance.

**S�C** · 18/01/2007, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Extra points for doing your leaving cert through Irish

Grants for living in the Gaeltacht.

Extra points?

Begar, sure I heard they just add on 10% to your mark if you do your exams in Irish.

You get tiny amount for certain subjects to compensate for the lack of text books.

Ask any one who did their leaving through Irish and they'd much rather have proper text books instead of some "extra points" that very few benefit from.

Grants for living in the Gaeltacht? How would that be then? Do you just get a cheque from � C�iv saying thanks for living here?

**CollegeTillIDie** · 18/01/2007, 10:26 PM

Ok many years ago a phrase was coined " gan teanga gan t�r". No language no Country. I would ask you Lim Till I Die, if we abandon our language and our culture,what is it about us that makes us Irish? Is it our appalling lack of mellanin? Is it our capacity for alcohol? No I'd say that would make us just like the Scots.