Madam, - It is typical of our society that Phaedra Keogh (April 25th) should blame the "poor, even wretched teaching" of Irish for her son's inability to string one sentence of Irish together.
Here is yet another example of a parent dumping responsibility on the education system. Other examples include: underage alcohol and drug abuse ("They should be taught about the dangers of substance abuse in schools"); child obesity ("They should learn about diet and exercise in schools"); lack of civility and good manners ("What are they being taught in schools?). If Ms Keogh is so interested in "this beautiful language", why has she not made in her business to pass this interest on to her son by using Irish in the home from an early age to instil a love for the language? Does she realise that the most influential people in children's language-learning are their parents? Is she willing to accept some liability for her son's poor standard of Irish?
It is easy to blame the schools, but much more difficult to put in the effort oneself. - Is mise,
TOMÁS Ó DÚILL,
Sliabh Rua,
Rath Droma,
Co Cill Mhantáin.
Madam, - Like Phaedra Keogh's son, my son, who has been learning Irish for 14 years, cannot string a sentence together in the language. He is sitting the Leaving Cert in a few weeks and plans to go to university to study physics. He should get the points required to do so, but his application has to be limited to Trinity and DCU as the NUI universities all exclude him from entry unless he passes Irish. By contrast, his friend, a child of Irish parents who returned from Germany seven years ago, can happily apply to any of the universities as he is exempt from taking Irish.
Yes please, let us all come to our senses and try the Des Bishop approach so that our young people can learn the Irish language and perhaps some Irish music and dance to go with it - be it for one week, 12 months or even 14 years.
Let's make it attractive rather than forcing them to spend countless hours of their young lives doing something they cannot wait to be rid of.
SIOBHÁN WALLS,
Bayside Walk,
Dublin 13.