Thomas - I think you are right that the government cannot "persuade" people to speak Irish. However, the people of Clare Island have expressed a wish to learn the language. The goverment would therefore not be persuading them but facilitating them in their endeavour. This is what appeals to me about the approach, it appears that it is being done in co-operation with the people themselves, in a non dictatorial style. I would also like to express some faith in the intelligence of the people of Clare Island! To suggest that it is too late for those within the community who have not attended a gaelscoil to speak Irish is to suggest that my own endeavours to improve my Irish are in vein, which I do not believe to be true. At the very least it's a new approach to the issue of Irish, and one which apperas to direct resources towards willful non-native Irish speakers of the country, of which the majority of us (taxpayers) are.

Tá moladh Fhine Gael i leith Chliara seafóideach agus cuireann sé gruaim mhór orm. Bheadh sé greannmhar ach é a bheith á dhéanamh ag páirtí a bheas i gcumhacht gan mhoill. Ní fhéadfadh ach ceann amháin de dhá chúis bheith taobh thiar de: aineolas dearg i dtaobh na Gaeilge nó cleasaíocht pholaitiúil.

Má rinne siad é go hionraic léiríonn sé nach bhfuil pioc saineolais acu i dtaobh chás na Gaeilge nó i dtaobh na sóchtheangeolaíochta. I dtús, mar a deir Ó hÉallaithe, is é caomhnú na Gaeltachta (nó an chuid bheag de gur féidir Gaeltacht a thabhairt uirthi) an cás is mó práinn faoi láthair. Rud eile: i saol an lae inniu, níl sa mholadh ach beartas gan chéill gan réasún. Is leamh atá an ceann ar an té a chreidfeadh go bhféadfadh a léithid a chur i gcrích.

Déarfainn féin áfach gur beartas pobalach atá ann nach bhfuil mar aidhm aige ach aird a thabhairt ar Fhine Gael mar pháirtí nuálach a bhfuil "smaointe" úra acu. Ní thuigfidh an gnáthdhuine gur seafóid cheart atá sa bheartas agus nach gcuirfear i gcrích riamh é, ach rachaidh sé ar liosta na bpolasaithe radacacha atá ag an pháirtí. (an scéal céanna leis an mholadh a bhaineann le héigeantacht na Gaeilge san ardteist).

Feictear domsa go bhfuil lorg fíor-chiniciúil ar pholasaithe úra Fhine Gael i dtaobh na Gaeilge agus gur cúis imní é go bhfuil páirtí mór sásta caomhnú na Gaeilge, atá i mbaol chéanna féin, a sheoladh ar bhealach a aimhleasa, agus é seo ar mhaithe le fógrá beag suarach a chuirfidh in iúil gur páirtí radacach é.

Silím gur chóir feachtas a bhunú ar nós an fheachtais a bhain áit amach don Ghaeilge i gcroílár na hEorpa. Ní mór dúinn cur in aghaigh na loitiméarachta cultúrtha seo.

Má leanann muid ar fad smaointeoireacht Dhonncha, ní bheidh mórán Gaeilge fágtha sa tír i gceann tamaill de bhlianta. Tá níos mó cainteoirí Gaeilge againn taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht mar atá taobh istigh, agus tá sé de cheart ag daoine an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn ina saolta féin, is cuma cén áit a bhfuil siad in Éirinn.

Is léir nach bhfuil mórán tuisceana ag Fine Gael ar an bhealach is fearr lenár dteanga féin a fhorbairt ach is fearr liom bheith ag labhairt go dearfach seachas bheith ag cúlú siar i gcónaí.

An féidir linn daoine/​teaghlach/​scoil/​áit a iompú i dtreo na Gaeilge? Is féidir linn. Rinneadh cheana féin é (Bóthar Seoighe, BF; Ráth Cairn), tá sé á dhéanamh faoi láthair (Carn Tóchair, Co. Dhoire agus an iliomad áiteanna ar fud na tíre).

Ar aghaidh linn.

Gaeilge marbh i nDeisceart Ard Mhacha agus Deisceart Dhoire 20 bhliain ó shin, inniu, Gaelscoileanna, ranganna, imeachtaí, gníomhaíocht, daoine ag tógáil páistí le Gaeilge - go nadúrtha.

BreacGhaeltacht.

Dá dtiocfadh le muintir Chliara a léithead a dhéanamh bheadh breacGhaeltacht acu taobh istigh de ghlúin.

Ciarán - I would like to think you are right and that resources are all that are needed to inspire the 150 islanders to start speaking Irish. But sadly I have found that most people of that area are antithetical towards using Irish in their daily lives. I'd be surprised if more than a small minority of adults were genuinely enthusiastic. I do agree that age is no barrier to learning or improving your level of Irish - but attitude is. If people were really that interested on Clare Island they would have made some kind of effort to speak it to some degree already, which they haven't.

Fear Gaeltachta - ach dóchasach - I think what you have outlined is an effective strategy. Focusing on raising children in an Irish speaking environment (gaelscoils), supplemented by culturally supportive events and activities will result in a breacghaeltacht in a generation.

This will become a full gaeltacht within two to three generations.

This is a strategy that will reverse the decline in all gaeltachts. Focus on bringing up the next generation in an Irish speaking environment and Irish will slowly but surely become the language of the community again. Expecting adults to spontaneously begin speaking a different language to the one they've been speaking since birth is a time proven lost cause.

OK, in English so the "Fine Gael" - yep, that's their name! spokesman on Irish can understand.

1. Nobody has ever revived a language by getting children to speak it. Very clever people, who study these questions for years at universities, who are called sociolingists, know this for a fact.

2. Never mind Clare Island. Irish is dying on the Aran Islands. If you wanted to revive a language a good starting point would be an island on the west coast (immigration very small), a pool of native speakers, a gaelscoil, government support. They have all this on the Aran Islands, and Irish is in decline. So why start from scratch on Clare Island?

Oh, I know, it's because Irish is a great valuable language and should be spoken....erm...By some one else.....Not me.....Someone far away on a windswept island. If you cant understand what Donncha said Mr Feighan I'll translate the most important bit - there is more Irish in your home parish than on Clare Island. Here's my bit. There would be a bit more if you learned and spoke it. Yes you.

The next generation is where hope for the language lies. Increasing the number of gaelscoils in gaeltacht communities should be the priority; it’s hard to believe that anyone who would want the Irish language to thrive would be opposed to this, unless they had other surreptitious motives that were not in favour of its revival.

Let’s be clear about the intentions of the Irish revival campaign – To make Irish the first language of Irish people. I think all of us who are in favour of Irish would like to see that happen.

Why are the Gaelic languages continuing to give way to English? Contrast this situation with Faroese, a language with only the fraction of number of speakers of Irish and Scots Gaelic. Faroese is a completely stable and not in any danger whatsoever of being displaced by Danish. Why?

You could argue it’s because they are isolated islands.

But so are the Aran Islands and the Outer Hebrides. Isolation hasn’t stopped English becoming increasingly the language of the young generation on those islands.

The reason why the Faroese language is stable and the Gaelic languages are not is because of identity. There is no conflict in speaking Faroese and having a Faroese ethnic identity. However the Irish language is not considered an essential part of an Irish identity anymore. It is a disappointing reality that Hiberno-English is considered the epitome of an ‘Irish’ identity in today’s world. (The same argument can be applied to Scots Gaelic and being Scottish).

So when the young generation leave their gaeltachts for education or employment, they encounter other people who have exactly the same ethnic identity as them but do not speak the same language. Since the Hiberno-English identity is far stronger than the Gaelic speaking one, the young Irish speakers begin to see how marginal their language is and how attractive and confident Hiberno-English is. Irish then becomes increasingly seen as superfluous to an Irish identity and even a social barrier to building relationships with other Irish people. So when they return to the gaeltacht, for holidays or to live, Irish no longer seems as essential or relevant to their lives as once it did. They would rather be more like their peers in the rest of Ireland, so they start speaking Hiberno-English.

Even though there is significant migration for the Faroe islanders back and forth to Denmark, their identity is not under threat. There is no conflict in their identity – Faroe Islanders are expected to speak Faroese as their first language; they are not Danish. Speaking Faroese as a first language is essential to a Faroese identity and Danish is regarded by them as the language of a different people.

It’s a sad fact but there are no monoglot adult Irish speakers left and so it is necessary to speak in English so all of the Irish people can understand, not just the small minority that are fluent in Irish.

Rinné mé agallamh le Frank Feighan faoi a smaoineamh ar NearFM mí ó shin, a chéad agallamh as Gaeilge. Tá sé ag déanamh iarracht. Níos mó ná fhormhór na ndaoine sa tír seo faoi láthair. Táim ag scríobh é seo agus mé i nGaoth Dobhair don deireadh seachtaine. Ní labhraíonn leath dena daoine óige aon Gaeilge agus an scoil fágtha aige.http:/​/​nearpodcast.org/​podcast/​index.php?id=434

Tá fonn orm bogadh chuig Cliara agus naonúr de pháiste a thógáil ann, Gaelscoil a thógáil le mo láimhe féin agus Gaeltacht a dhéanamh dom féin - díreach chun cur isteach ar na 'Gaeilgeoirí' seo a chreideann gur rud dúchasach an díomhúachas!

Cé tá liom?

Agus rud eile, cén fáth a bhfuil daoine ag tabhairt amach fán Ghaeilge agus fá dhaoine atá ag iarraidh rud dearfach a dhéanamh faoi - agus iad ag spalpadh Béarla anseo!