“F*ck the Irish Language”? Whatever.

12Jul09

I recently came across a blog post by a young man called Bob Byrne, who wrote a rant about the pointlessness of the Irish language. I’m not going to repeat any of what he wrote, because I believe you should read it for yourself.

http://clamnuts.com/rants/general/fuck-the-irish-language/ is the URL. Take a look.

What I will repeat, however, is my reply. Enjoy.

Right. I’ve read the rant. I’ve read the comments. Now it’s time for me to have my say.

I was brought up speaking English at home, although my Mam has a decent amount of Irish, and her father was very interested in Irish culture; the folklore, the songs (I’m talking about sean-nós, not rebel songs), the traditional music and the language. Neither my mother nor her father are/were fluent, but they had an appreciation for the language.

I attended English-medium education. When I reached the age of 11, though, the teachers decided to start using the Gaelic names – I honestly don’t know why. So, instead of being called ‘Scott Butler’, I was now Scott De Buitléir. And I thought it sounded cool, different, and more fitting to me. I know that sounds a bit gay, but that’s the only way I can describe it. (Plus I am gay, so maybe I can get away with it!)

I started developing an interest in the language. It quickly became my best subject in school, because I had the support of my mother to help me out with my homework, etc. I was also lucky in having at least three excellent Irish teachers in both primary and secondary school. By the time I reached the Leaving Cert, I was one of ONLY TWO students who did Higher Level Irish in my year – the other lad had attended a primary-level Gaelscoil.

I understand when people say that they hate being made study something. I hated English and Maths in school, but I had to study them. So, I decided to study what I loved in college, and I’ve just finished a BA in Irish in UCD (I also studied Welsh, but that’s a different story!). In September, I’ll be starting a Masters in Irish-language Journalism in UCD.

I know that I’m probably the exception to the rule, but being able to speak Irish has actually been of benefit to my life. I’ve been able to get my Irish-language poetry published, and I’ve worked in radio, presenting shows in Irish. I’m now presenting a show on one of RTÉ’s new digital radio stations, and I got the gig because the manager of an Irish-language radio station (Raidió na Life) suggested me as a presenter for RTÉ, because of my fluency in (obviously) both Irish and English. I’ve been asked to write for various Irish-language media, and recently I was asked to do a bit of work for BBC Radio Ulster’s Irish-language show.

My point to all of this is that my fluency and love of the language is able to pay my bills! That shows that Irish can be of use to some people. Some may be able to live without speaking a word of it, but I say to each their own. I’ve spent long enough self-analyzing because I’m an Irishman who was born in London. I don’t care anymore what others think of Irish culture, the language, or whatever. But my point is that Irish – like anything – can still be of use for those who want to use it.

Filed under: Gaeilge, Ireland, Irish   |  5 Comments