Ya because ff have a guy who turned his back on his religious beliefs to please a few people. And leo who likes showing off his marvel socks. There haven’t been any heavy hitters in politics in years. We’re under the thumb of Europe.
I’ve explained it twice already you thick shit. In your sweeping generalisations about nest feathering and some mystic Golden Circle of gaeilgóirí you tried to portray all the funding for an entire government department at the door of the Irish language. This is despite its funding falling even as the economy has supposedly recovered. You refuse to name any of these mysterious millionaires from Irish. You’ve refused to address it and have now moved the goalposts.
Now to address some of your ráiméis.
Irish language broadcasting is of an exceptional standard. The TG4 hit rate and track record of commissioning actual Irish companies to do good work of a high artistic standard and of public interest is insane( travel documentaries in particular). They leave RTE and Tv3 miles in their wake. Unfortunately their funding has dropped so drastically that they have completely changed their commisioning model in the last year. Who knows what effect this will have. They even get high ratings for broadcasting rugby as Gaeilge, hammering into a previously untouchable demographic!!
The money spent on teaching Irish is no more a waste than the money spent on teaching anything else. It’s teacher’s wages. While I’m not going to defend some of the historical teaching strategies of Ireland, I’ve already expressed my opinion that the language dies when people leave school and don’t use it. The same as a fellas french or german that he doesn’t use, or his biology or his maths. Most 18 year olds can speak a fair bit of Irish the day of their leaving cert Oral. It’s what happens afterwards which matters most.
I would put much more monwey into social initiatives to promote the use of Irish in everyday life. This is happening more on a voluntary basis than in any state funded way (e.g. pop u gaeltacht evenings, ParkRun le Gaeilge). Irish is a handy drum to beat but our attainment levels in most subjects are poor. Witness google saying they can’t find Irish people to fill their foreign language translator jobs.
As for translators, why shouldn’t Irish be recognised as a European Language? Do you actually want to kill it off? If you’d like to do a value for money audit on our government’s expenditure I’m all for it, but it makes sense to start with the giant figures. Tax avoidance, health, giant bail out bills on our national debt.
As someone who speaks Irish on a daily basis I’m not happy with the status quo, but I’m actively working to improve the level of Irish and to make it more accessible to people who might otherwise hate it.
The call for euthanasia was not serious by the way. Just an example of what happens if you demand ‘value for money’ from all levels of society, you amadán.
Ag deireadh thiar thall, you’ve been running your mouth off (ar nós na gaoithe) with a load of lazy bollox.
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Is a heavy hitter in Ireland defined by his blind loyalty to the Catholic Church?
You are mental.
The funding mentioned was for the Gaeltacht, Islands and Irish language. That department has a far bigger overall budget. Funding for the Gaeltacht is separate from other rural funding because of the Irish language. The end.
Moving on, I’m delighted you will now address the rest.
The quality of TG4 is neither here nor there to the argument. The station itself market share is only just in line with the number of speakers in this country, despite showing English language programming and things like sport to appeal to a broader audience. TG4, Irish language programming and RnaG take up a substantial portion of public broadcast monies despite not delivering audiences and indeed having any perceptible increase in speakers of the language. It is catering to an existing market and is simply providing jobs to a section of society.
I quite like the output but those are just the facts.
On teachers, you’ve got to be joking. Teachers are there to educate. The sign of a solid education in the language would be strong numbers of daily Irish speakers. There aren’t.
You have stumbled here with the “that just pays teachers wages” sure line. This just proves the point. You can only teach the language if you are in the golden circle. As Fagan points out, there is a huge opportunity cost in the time devoted, which could go elsewhere.
On the translators point, there we go again, you’re not addressing the point on the few gaining from everyone else. Ireland did not need the language to be recognized before 2004 and then a lobby piped up demanding it. It is costing millions annually for little reward. It is not doing anything to improve the language. It is a point of pride for some and a way to make money for them too.
I don’t have a problem with spending money on the language but I am asking how we are spending that money.
On the lazy point, well I’d say given your unwillingness to debate and immediate seething that you’re either too lazy to think yourself and just want to defend your patch, or as a I suspect, someone in your family does very well out of the Irish language industry.
We dont have a strong number of chemists, biologists, historians, French/spanish/german speakers or woodworkers in irish society either and they are all taught in schools.
Far too many historians I’m sure you’ll agree 
There are more Irish people living in those three countries than daily Irish speakers. That’s aside from the benefits in commerce and Irish people conversing in those languages generally.
Those other subjects all link into various disciplines.
Look I don’t have a problem with money going towards Irish or teaching it, I am simply asking why we spend so much for such little returns.
There are some people who do very well out of the status quo.
The issue as discussed is how it’s taught — At uni level, and I’m sure at governance level, there are a large number of Irish language Nazis - Who refuse to change how we engage with the language and successive governments didnt/dont have the will to challenge them.
Yeah that’s my problem.
I asked why we spend millions to get such poor returns and some of the Zealots went ape.
Happy with the status quo as it suits them being the obvious reason.
My issue is why it has to be compulsory in school.
It’s the official language of the country is it not?
Ok, lets take it real slow.
Despite accusing me of not debating, you’ve still failed to outline any figures for this and who this Golden Circle ‘feather nesting’ are. And you’ve been asked a few times.
So, please outline what the conspiracy is? Do you actually believe that people want to stop Irish spreading so they can hoover up the available funds???
Are teachers part of this clandestine conspiracy? Is it organised at government level or thrtough another agency?
Care to tell us where you pulled your 63 million from and who or what bodies are spending it and what they are spending it on?
Do you know anything, literally anything about how Irish is taught today in schools? Anything from curriculum to methodology or examination? Because eveything you’ve said smacks of old bullshit from 30 years ago when you were actually in school.
I’m not sure why you think I’m seething, or am unwilling to debate. I’ve given you facts and figures. You’ve repeated the words fethernest/golden circle/ conspiracy. Your basic point seems to be that Irish isn’t widely used, so all using it should be ashamed/at fault somehow/on the take. I’m saying that having had the language ethnically cleansed there are huge societal barriers to having it more widespread, some of which are actively exacerbated by the state. And yet the growth of Gaelscoileanna gives hope.
What is it you think me or a family member does that ‘does very well out of the Irish industry’?
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Tóg go bog é,
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Táim ar mo sháimhín só anseo, an leaid óg ag spraoi in aice liom agus ag dul ag snámh ar ball. Is iascaire mé, le amadán sa (idir)líon agam.
Is fear maith tú … Níl … Is fear álainn tú.
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An bhfuil cead agam dul amach go dtí an leithreas?
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It costs money but I think we would lose a lot if we lost our langauage. I used to be proficient but not so much now but even reading the cupla focal there stirs something in me.
It’s the only thing we “own” as a people and we have not minded it well but we shouldn’t throw it away.
I think my favorite Irish word is “meitheal”
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Hurling and our language are the only things we own.
And sean nós
Edward Carsons Spud hockey?