A chara, – From the perspective of this university linguist, Irish is a typical European language. It is no more difficult or easy than any other European language.
If a principal insists on pandering to those who seek an exemption for Irish, he or she should, by the same logic, refuse them instruction in any other languages at that school, as such students will clearly be equally incompetent in French, Spanish, German, or Russian. Pandering to those parents (and it is parents) who are indifferent or hostile to Irish is bad educational policy.
It is a mockery of the Irish education system (and our teachers) to permit exceptions like this. – Is mise,
Prof BRIAN Ó BROIN, PhD,
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Department of English,
William Paterson
University,
New Jersey, US.