Sir, - We should certainly be very grateful to Dr Ciaran O Coighligh for his very frank admission that "the colleges of education are not currently capable of ensuring that all aspirant teachers achieve a level of perfection in the language that will allow them to teach Irish in a competent fashion".
Dia idir sinn agus an t-olc!
Are we to understand that standards in the preparation of teachers are that low? I wonder if the same problem applies to English, Maths and the other subjects? Worse still, he also tells us that "no particular provision is made in St Patrick's College to ensure that students are equipped to teach other subjects through the medium of Irish". Why not?
Dr O Coighligh and the board of management of the college are apparently not prepared to cater for the ever growing demand for teachers fully qualified to teach subjects through Irish in the ever increasing number of Gaelscoileanna.
If the colleges of education have failed in their duty to the trainee teachers and the children of this nation, who are thus denied their right to have a proper knowledge of their own native language, it is unlikely that those responsible for the problem are ever likely to take action to remedy the situation.
The real answer is the establishment of an all-Irish university that would give to the Irish language the honour and status that Oxford University gave to English. One of the duties of the University would be, gan amhras, to ensure that teachers are properly trained not just to teach Irish as a living language but to use it as a medium of instruction in other subjects. With proper leadership (perhaps An Dochtuir O Coighligh might be able and willing to supply it) such a noble objective would justify the full commitment of all-Irish Language and Gaeltacht organisations. It would also deserve the financial support of the EU, since the Irish language, as the oldest written language in Western Europe, is part of the European heritage. Last but, bi cinnte de, not least, there would be support from the ordinary people of Ireland, mostly English-speaking, without whose enthusiastic support Gaelscoileanna would not be flourishing in almost every town and city suburb in Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
Padraig O Cuanachain, Dun an Oir, Sean Bothar na hEochaille, Corcaigh.