Letter to the Editor: Has Ireland lost its soul by forgoing its language?

'In Gaeltacht areas, most of these high-end jobs are not given to the native Irish speakers, they are given to those with “Book Irish” coming from outside the Gaeltacht areas.' File picture

In the 1950/1960s, hundreds of family members from the Connemara Gaeltacht had to emigrate to England and US to seek employment. Most did not have a word of English. A lady working in the buffet at Ceannt Station, Galway, during this time told me how sad it was to see them all heading off on the train while their relations and friends stood on the platform waving them off with tears in their eyes, maybe never to see them again.

Maybe the battle to save the Irish language died in those years.