On Tuesday, July 9, 2002, at 02:27 , Keith Gaughan wrote:
{snip}
> Most Irish people look at the North with a sense of annoyance -
..and so do most this side of the Irish Sea also.
> you wouldn't believe the number of people who'd like to detach
> it from the rest of the island and set it adrift out in the
> middle of the Atlantic. The English feel much the same way in
> general.
Absolutely!
{snip}
> Gaelic is dying in Ireland because there's no fostering of a love of
> the language.
Tho I understand its use has actually grown among the 'nationalist'
community in the six counties. I've have seen it stated that Belfast
is the only place where a daily newspaper is published in a Celtic lang.
But I guess that's largely prompted by a desire to emphasize their
Irishness in opposition to the strident claims to be "Ulster Scots" by
the other tribe they share the six counties with.
{snip}
> There is a composite Gaelic used - it's called Irish. It's a composite
> of the three divergent dialects in the country: Munster, Connacht and
> Ulster Gaelic.
The latter spoken IIRC in County Donegal - a reminder that Ulster is not
synonymous with the six counties.
> If Gaelic dies, it won't be because of a lack of unification efforts,
> it'll be because nobody cares anymore.
Which IMO would be very sad.
Ray.