Teacher is fighting discrimination against her own language

I AM writing to express my support for Belfast drama teacher Máire Nic an Bháird who has made a brave stand on behalf of the Irish speaking community by fighting the charges levelled against her, effectively for speaking Irish, and for endeavouring to ensure her case will be heard in the North in Irish in September.

This is an example of a young Irish speaker fighting discrimination against people for speaking their own language. Discrimination against linguistic groups is always the first instrument of oppression used against a people and it is invariably the last to go.

The specific legislation in question is the so-called Justice Act 1737, effectively the last of the penal laws but still in effect. Scottish Gaels suffer for similar gross discrimination (as per the case of Taylor v Haughey 1982). The argument that the fact a person is bilingual mitigates their linguistic rights cannot be sustained — the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland are bilingual as the result of centuries of absolute discrimination and as a result of a concerted effort to destroy our common culture, by legislation, the school master’s whip, the redcoats’ sabre and the gun.

That tens of thousands continue to use Irish as their language of choice is testimony to the determination of the Gaels not to succumb to those who feel that they have a historic mission to anglicise every corner of the these islands. The thousands of children attending Gaelic medium education in Ireland, north and south, in Scotland and in Mann, as well as those for whom Irish/Gaelic is the language of the home, is proof of this steadfastness.

Iníon Mhic an Bhaird’s stand also demonstrates as false the assertion that the young people of Ireland have nothing but contempt for the Irish language and their native culture.

Ciarán Dúnbarrach

Baile na Machaire

Cluain Daimh

Co an Dúin