The Irish version of the marriage equality amendment to the Constitution needs to be rewritten.

The proposal by university heads to drop the requirement for students to matriculate in Irish, English and another language is retrograde and runs contrary to the Government’s policy of increasing the number of Irish citizens in EU jobs.

Myles Duffy (Letters, Febraury 26) misses the point. The Irish language has never been nurtured by the State.

Where a language is excluded from public or official business, that language goes into decline.

As the result of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy in 1968, as evidenced by my being given up for adoption, I feel that there is a distinct lack of consideration for the best interests of the unplanned and unwanted child in the womb in the current debate.

Your editorial (Mar 13) would be comical if it were not so ill-informed. You offer no evidence for the alleged €1 billion annual spend on Irish.

The 2007 Linguist Survey of the Gaeltacht found that Irish had 15-20 years remaining as a community language without a change in the current Statepolicy, best described by Prof Joe Lee as ‘letting the language die by stealth’.

Matt Cooper’s suggestion (Opinion, Feb 24)) that making Irish optional for the Leaving Cert would improve the teaching of German is not well-founded.

In relation to Martin McGuinness’s suggestion that the people of the North should vote on the question of an United Ireland by 2016 (Irish Examiner, Jan 30) the necessary constitutional changes resulting from a yes vote need not be that profound.

CONTRARY to the waggish boast, the banning or marginalisation of a language does not lead to increased use of that language.

YOUR anti-Irish language editorial (January 21) needs to be addressed. The EU is founded on the cornerstone of diversity, in particular linguistic diversity. The number of EU official languages has grown from four in 1958 to 23 today. This involves not only the right to speak one’s official language in parliament, but also to access European laws and services in one’s official language of choice.

WE call on the Taoiseach to stand by the Government’s statement on the Irish language (December 2006) wherein it is pledged, inter alia:

Irish language group Conradh na Gaeilge has demanded the Minister for Education rethink a proposal to teach English in the all-Irish Gaelscoileanna from the second school term onwards, without conducting further research.

FINE Gael’s Cllr Jim Daly singles out (Irish Examiner letters, June 23) Conradh na Gaeilge president Daithí Mac Cárthaigh for criticism — but there are more, including over 4,500 people who have taken the time to sign a petition on the internet instigated by another organisation, Glór na nGael.

I WAS amazed by the comments of Conradh na Gaeilge president Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh (Irish Examiner letters, June 17).

THE allure of any commodity is greatly enhanced by the policy of forbiddance.

I WAS pleased to read the letter headed ‘Splitting Irish into two subjects is the answer’ by Daithí Mac Cárthaigh, president of Conradh na Gaeilge (Irish Examiner January 27).

I AM surprised by Enda Kenny’s proposal that Irish not be taken by all Leaving Cert students in future. If such a proposal were implemented the result would be the marginalisation of Irish as a subject in our schools.

THE case for services through Irish, firstly, is that, as human beings, Irish speakers are entitled to quality public services in our own language.

THREE cheers for Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s stated intention of recruiting gardaí from members of ethnic minorities in order to ensure that the force reflects the diversity of modern Irish society.

THREE cheers for the Government on their formal request that Irish be made an official EU language. At present the EU has 20 official languages, Irish not included.

I MOSTLY agree with what Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh said (Irish Examiner, February 2). What I would like to point out is that in contrast to Ireland, all the Maltese people in Malta speak the language.

IT is clear from the answer which he gave to the Fine Gael Leader, Mr Enda Kenny, TD in the Dáil last wednesday that the Taoiseach is badly advised in relation to the status of the Irish language in the EU.

I NOTE that the Junior Minister for European Affairs, Dick Roche, objects to people not as fluent as he supporting the campaign for the inclusion of Irish as an official EU language.

PROTESTERS demanding more EU recognition for the Irish language outside Dublin Castle yesterday couldn’t give a focal.

Irish language enthusiasts are lobbying for Irish to be recognised as an official language of the European Union.