Madam, - Brendan M. Redmond's letter of January 14th about Irish on RTÉ filled me with a great sadness at the attitude so many Irish people towards the native language.
I had the benefit of a fantastic all-Irish education in one of the country's greatest schools, Coláiste Eoin. The staff there helped instill in me a great love for the Irish language and culture and I believe that the second-rate manner in which Irish is taught in most English-speaking schools is the main reason that the use of Irish on our national media is greeted with anger, cynicism and sometimes even disgust.
I was deeply hurt by Mr Redmond's sarcastic suggestion that perhaps we would forget the Irish language if we did not hear it every day. Well, not only do I hear it every day on the radio and television but every day in my heart. - Is mise,
SÉAMUS MAC AN RIDIRE, Howth, Co Dublin.