Europe calls our bluff on language
Another view was that the Irish were just not sufficiently interested. Whichever view is correct might be ascertained under the 30-year rule, following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
In fact, Irish negotiators gained recognition for the Irish language in the official texts of EEC (later EU) treaties, since the wording of these might require amendments to our national constitution, where the Irish version over-rides the English in case of doubt.
This rather formalistic status was previously unknown. Terminology describing it is of minor relevance, because such vocabulary was made up as things went along. The generally received wisdom was that fuller recognition could embarrass speakers from Ireland at official gatherings, if they were seen to be ignorant of their own language.
An additional excuse was the presumed difficulty of translating into and out of Irish out of and into the several already recognised languages.
This last consideration will soon be devoid of all force, as the EU will shortly have some 20 fully-recognised working languages with all the permutations of translation that this number implies.
European bureaucrats, who like procedures to be cost-effective, might well prefer a single language: English is the obvious candidate.
But other countries will not have it so, not even the Scandinavians, who speak English frequently and well. Those seeking ever-closer union might well wish to restrict EU languages to such as are exclusively European. This, of course, would rule out world, or other overseas, languages, including Spanish, French and Portuguese, along with English. This also is simply not on.
Only Ireland and Luxembourg will thus be left with their national languages not in everyday official use.
And Luxemburger is now qualified to become a recognised EU working language: it is used in the Luxembourg parliament, whose reports are published in it.
A grammar and dictionary have recently been printed in it, thanks in part to the labours of the sister of a girl who worked in our own Hague embassy.
The former possible embarrassment to Ireland if Irish were to be included has now been translated if that is the correct term into a national embarrassment, arising from our exclusion.
Let us remember that it is not a question of our being required to use Irish. Many member states use other languages as well as their own as occasion suggests.
The crux is that Irish ministers and other politicians and representatives are not permitted to speak Irish on every and any occasion that they may wish to do so. This situation is highly unusual, and almost singularly so.
Even little Malta will have her language fully recognised. A famous legend has it that a one-time Turkish admiral who failed to find Malta, covered his embarrassment by declaring that Malta did not exist.
We might similarly try to cover up and pretend that Irish does not exist, were it not for the fact that our constitution and the requirement it gives rise to, that we use Irish for treaty purposes, have already let the cat out of the bag.
Gearóid Ó Cléirigh,
3, Charlton Lawn,
Dublin 14.
