First of all, who does he think he is? How dare he condemn T.na G.! Not only is it "Television for Galway" as he so crudely puts it, Teilifis na Gaelige is a channel for the lovers of "ar teanga fein" of whom there are many not only in Galway but also in the island as a whole. If Mr. Flynn had researched further he would have learned that there are many more than 10,000 speakers of the Irish language. Does he expect us to let the remnants of our culture and uniqueness slip away through the banishment of our own language? Wake up, we are no longer living in Penal Times although sometimes it seems as though we are with the attitude people in this country have!! Our language is our heritage and we should respect that!

If Mr. Flynn had some "gra" for his language while he was studying for his Leaving Cert. then perhaps he would appreciate the spoken Irish more than he does! And as for his statement that an advertiser would be stupid to advertise on T.na G., I think perhaps he is going to have some explaining to do to Art. Guinness on that matter, 

Obviously Mr. Flynn has something against "wee Michael"(Oh, I forgot he isn't Fianna Fail)! Mr. Michael D. Higgins TD, is perhaps the only minister in the position of Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht to have actually done something right for our culture and I say Fair Play Michael D., it's about time someone began to respect what is rightfully ours. The fact that the general election is coming up has nothing to do with the setting up of T.na G.. T.na G. is a project that Minister Higgins has been working on since coming into office. Because "He" (I presume Mr. Flynn is refering to the government) pumped money into the Gaeltacht proves my point that he respects our national heritage.

Being from Galway one might think I'm being biased and perhaps I am but I think I speak for the people of this Island who respect and love our language. Personally I think it is a crying shame that people like Mr. Flynn (& Benny) are being so prejudiced in their ways because of a State exam. Are we not " Daoine na hEireann"? Are we not entitled to a "staisuin teilifis" in which we can listen to the beauty of our own language?? Indeed I think we are and more so than any other country. After what our forefathers had to go through to try and keep it alive, I think the least we can do is to respect T.na G..

I hope that Mr. Flynn and co. will understand this point of view and in the likely instance of people telling me what they think of this, I have one thing to say............ POG MO THOIN!! 

Adrian Godwin 3rd Bus. 

My apologies for resorting to sarcasm but this is the kind of narrow-mindedness that just gets under my skin. First of all, T na G is not simply "television for 10,000 people". It is perhaps the last effort to save our national language before it is lost forever. I will agree that the current Irish Leaving Certificate course leaves a lot to be desired. Too much influence is placed on old poems and short-stories and not enough on basic communication skills. This can in turn lead to a belief that the language is of no use, as in the case of Mr. Flynn. But surely, isn't a modern television station a move to address this situation. It shows people that Irish IS alive and that it IS useful.

Also watching quality programs through Irish can not only be entertaining but also educational to so many people striving to learn the language at school. And if this means spending £10m a year, so be it. No initiative is ever going to take off without an investment. And this is what I believe it is - an investment, in the future of our language. If we succeed, I can envisage the situation where most people growing up WOULD have an adequate leave of conversational Irish, WOULD NOT be afraid to speak it or to watch T na G and where the original monetary investment might even be recouped through increased demand from advertisers. And if we don't succeed, I hear some people ask? What have we lost? A language for a start. In 100 years £5m or £60m will seem like a very small amount of money when people consider how we let part of our national heritage die.

As for the tame argument that the money could be better spent in other areas, such as crime and unemployment, I have this to say. The departments of Justice and Social Welfare receive huge budgets yearly, much more than Michael D Higgins, and rightly so. And it is up to each department to use this money as efficiently as possible in dealing with their own problems. But to suggest that T na G suffer because another department fails to make the most of their money is madness. Where does one stop? Should allocations to sports organisations cease, so we can provide an extra prison space or two? Mr. Flynn's argument is based on a form of emotional blackmail, that there isn't enough money to go around, that watching T na G even contributes to the starving in Zaire. Rubbish! If he really wanted to see something done for those unfortunate refugees he should highlight some real waste, such as beef and butter mountains in Europe.

To finish let me say this. I do not come from the Gaelteacht. I'm not a fluent Irish speaker. I don't seek to promote T na G through narrow self-interest, as some admittedly have done. But I am proud that we in Ireland have a national language unique to us, and now a television station to encourage its use and growth. And I'll be damned if I stand by and let a begrudger like Colm Flynn belittle it and our heritage.
Go n-éiri and t-adh leat, T na G.

Joe Power, 4th Year, Mech. Eng.