Irish versions of area plans are read on websites

THE welcome availability of Irish language versions of public documents such as, for instance, the area plans for regions in counties containing gaeltachtaí has come in for some harsh criticism and ill-informed reportage in the Irish Examiner and other media recently.

In one editorial I read there was no need to publish Irish language versions of such documents as “no one was reading them” and they were “a waste of money”. Indeed no one is purchasing hard copies of the Irish versions of such documents.

Why should they when these documents are available free of charge as downloadable documents online?