Sir, - Thankfully I have never met a vet who hated animals or a gardener with a disdain for flowers. I have, however, met quite a few anti-Irish teachers in my time, some of whom struck me as harmless cranks, while others were, simply, a disgrace to their profession.
Assistant Principal Bernard McDonnell (July 28th) admits "never having had cause to use Irish in 20 years of teaching ..." What a pity! He obviously hasn't tried hard enough. Surely, as a teacher of French, he could have found a half-an-hour in those 20 long years to talk about the influence of Anglo-Norman French words on Irish. Would not every garsun (garcon) and paiste (page) in the country appreciate such cross-fertilisation? At any rate, it ill behoves a teacher of any language to downgrade another.
Assistant Principal McDowell then goes on to attack my mindset - whatever that is - as being "more suited to the 19th century". Well now, I know that jelly sets. Do minds set as well? Mine hasn't, in the 19th or any other century (our own included). He then labels me, further, as a "traditionalist". Anybody who knows me, or any of my 80 or so books, will know the chances of that label sticking . - Is mise,
Gabriel Rosenstock, Gleann na gCaorach, Co Atha Cliath.