Minister says Gaeltacht town’s name has not been wiped off the map

I MUST take issue with the myths repeated yet again in the letter headlined ‘Price we pay for loss of identity’ (Irish Examiner, April 13).

Firstly, I did consult extensively before making the Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004. The order, made on December 21, 2004, contains 2319 placenames from all Gaeltacht areas in the country.

I arranged for a draft of this order to be published and a press release issued on the matter before summer '04 so the views of the people of the Gaeltacht could be taken into account before it was made. A copy was also made available to the relevant county councils.