The Irish language can benefit from the new multicultural Ireland, and it is up to the Irish language community to embrace such influences, President Mary McAleese has said.
Marking the opening of the office of An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) in Spiddal, Co Galway, yesterday, the President spoke of the enriching effect of a multicultural and multilingual society.
Such change should be a matter of celebration, Mrs McAleese said, speaking in Irish. It was up to the Irish language community to embrace these influences as the language evolved to meet the needs of the 21st century.
It was now "cool" to express oneself through the medium of Irish, she said, and this was a very positive development when the future of the language depended entirely on the good will of its people.
Advances had been made by TG4 and Raidió na Gaeltachta, and all-Irish schools had grown in popularity, but Gaeltacht areas had eroded considerably due to increasing pressure from the English language.
Mrs McAleese quoted 17th century poet Dáibhí Ó Bruadair, noting that Irish was the oldest written language in Europe and still remained as a living language.
The language belonged to all of the people of Ireland - whether from the Gaeltacht or outside, she said.
She paid tribute to the office of the Irish Language Commissioner, and commended Seán Ó Cuirreáin, who is effectively the State's ombudsman for the Irish language.
He was formally appointed by the President last year, and his office is charged with monitoring the obligations of State organisations under the Official Languages Act.
Children from Scoil Éinne, Spiddal, provided a guard of honour for the President yesterday, under the direction of school principal Máirín Uí Neachtain. The Spiddal-based group, Dordán, played music and Mrs McAleese was presented with a sculpted piece of 3,000-year-old bog oak by Eric Byrne.
The office of An Coimisinéir Teanga is located in a new Údarás na Gaeltachta-owned facility, part of which is leased by the Office of Public Works.
Mr Ó Cuirreáin said it was a great honour that the President had accepted the invitation to perform the official opening.
