Europe has a new language that we don’t speak

THE Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, who I assume is fluent in the Irish language, has said it was difficult to get the agreement of some members of the EU to make Irish one of its official languages.

I’m not surprised.

Many in the EU must be aware that members of our national parliament, to put it mildly, are far from fluent in our ‘first language’.

In fact, there have been occasions when members of the Dáil, wishing to escape the immediate wrath of colleagues, have made unpopular statements in Irish, secure in the knowledge they will not be understood by many in the Dáil. While the expenditure of millions of euro in this latest example of tokenism towards the restoration of the Irish language will create some jobs for those with Leaving Cert Irish, could the money not be better spent?

Have we not already got enough unnecessary bureaucracy impeding progress in the EU?

Tony Moriarty

6 Shanid Road

Kenilworth Park

Dublin 6W