EVERY COUPLE OF months, the old debate on the Irish language is revived. Is Gaeilge dead? Should we bother with it anymore?
It’s an argument that’s been had a thousand times, and inevitably there’s the same talk about Peig, funding, and perceived ‘elitism’ amongst Irish speakers.
After a segment on Newstalk last week started the rigmarole again, writer Ciara Ní É created the Twitter hashtag #NílSéCGL (Níl sé ceart go leor, or “It’s not OK”).
She invited fellow Irish speakers to share the niggling questions and comments that they’re repeatedly faced with, except with Irish replaced by other languages.
It’s funny, while also putting things into perspective:
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The hashtag trended nationwide yesterday as Irish speakers came together to voice their frustrations and vent, just a little.
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In light of the hashtag going viral, Ciara has asked people to take the time to consider why they might hold these attitudes towards Irish, and not any other languages:
Imagine your name being constantly misspelled, or just changed to a different language without your permission. Imagine your government not speaking to you in your language… Welcome to the daily life of an Irish speaker in Ireland. It’s exhausting.
Now imagine your fellow citizens saying that you probably only speak your language because you are getting a grant for it, or you are only speaking that language because you are talking about them, or that you’re showing off. It’s not OK.
“Next time, before you make a comment about Irish, please ask yourself whether you’d say it about another language.”
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