<div dir="ltr">
<h1>The dwindling Gaeltacht</h1>
<h2> </h2>
<div class="">
<div class="">
<div class="">
</div>
</div>
<span content=""></span>
<div class="">
<br>
</div>
</div>
<div class="">
<div class="">
<p><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/the-dwindling-gaeltacht-1.2269694#"><span content="2015-07-02T01:08">Thu, Jul 2, 2015, 01:08</span></a></p>
<div class="">
<p><strong>First published:</strong> <span content="2015-07-02T01:08">Thu, Jul 2, 2015, 01:08</span></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="">
<span class="" value="Print this page"></span>
<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/cmlink/irish-times-letters-1.1364619" target="_blank"><span class=""></span></a>
</div>
</div>
<p class="">Sir, – As things stand, the dwindling
Gaeltacht is past saving. It has been dwindling for a long time, and
recently, because the predominant will among its people has been
switching from Irish to English. </p>
<p class="">No words or action by outsiders have stopped this dwindling and none can. </p>
<p class="">The only thing that could stop it is if the few
remaining Gaeltacht people decide to save their lrish language and to
stop switching to English. But they seem unlikely to make this decision.
– Yours, etc, Dr DESMOND FENNELL Sandymount, Dublin 4.</p>
<p class="">Sir, – The death-knell of Irish as a spoken community language is sounded with great clarity in Conchúr Ó Giollagáin’s <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/irish-in-crisis-we-need-a-new-deal-to-revitalise-the-language-1.2264426">opinion</a> piece (“Irish in crisis”, June 29th). </p>
<p class="">A “new deal” is required if Irish is to survive as a
vernacular in Gaeltacht districts beyond the next 10 years according to
recently-published research co-authored by Prof Ó Giollagáin.</p>
<p class="">Acknowledging reality is the first step in
successfully confronting a crisis and we are indebted to Ó Giollagáin
for drawing attention to the lack of commitment and coherence in Irish
language policy. </p>
<p class="">Now that the country is exiting a period of severe
economic and social dislocation it’s surely time to take stock of what
matters to us as a people. </p>
<p class="">Do we want to be the generation on whose watch the
lived expression of the most distinctive aspect of our Irishness is lost
without a fight? </p>
<p class="">Addressing this task with the strategic vision and
determination which it requires would be a fitting gesture in this
decade of commemorations. – Yours, etc, MARTIN HAWKES Rathgar, Dublin 6. <br></p><p class=""><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/the-dwindling-gaeltacht-1.2269694">http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/the-dwindling-gaeltacht-1.2269694</a><br></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
</div>