Unionists should be flexible and creative over the Irish language

Most countries have national legends or stories (eg: King Arthur or Robin Hood) used as an example to shape the identity of a community.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Jan 2020, 16:57 BST
Updated 9th Jan 2020, 17:02 BST
DUP leader Arlene Foster, Emma Little Pengelly and Nigel Dodds at the 2019 general election count in Belfast. "The recent dramatic drop in DUP votes is a clear sign that unionist voters are looking for new approaches" Pic Colm Lenaghan/PacemakerDUP leader Arlene Foster, Emma Little Pengelly and Nigel Dodds at the 2019 general election count in Belfast. "The recent dramatic drop in DUP votes is a clear sign that unionist voters are looking for new approaches" Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker
DUP leader Arlene Foster, Emma Little Pengelly and Nigel Dodds at the 2019 general election count in Belfast. "The recent dramatic drop in DUP votes is a clear sign that unionist voters are looking for new approaches" Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

In our unionist culture tales of the treachery of Lundy during the Siege of Derry are still used to warn against Lundys who would betray unionism, even though suspicion of new ideas and a stubborn opposition to change have not served unionism well.

The recent dramatic drop in DUP votes is a clear sign that unionist voters are looking for new approaches.

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Some of the dishonest propaganda about denial of Irish language rights has provoked calls for unionism to stand firm and resist all calls for an Irish language act, especially the suggestion that a commissioner could influence the criteria for employment and promotion.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

However, I suggest unionists should be flexible and creative in our attempt to meet the need to respect the Irish language.

Irish language enthusiasts keep saying the language belongs to all, they want Irish to be accessible to the unionist community. Well, let us take them at their word and embrace the language in a way that means something to both the unionist and nationalist communities but does not distort the employment market.

Most of us live in towns with names that come from the Irish language. Let the roads service display a sign at each town’s entrances that shows both the English and Irish versions.

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This shows respect for the language, prevents the ghettoisation of Irish, making it available in both unionist and nationalist areas and with a growing tourist industry it might pay to have another part of our history on display.

Also, having the two languages displayed, it is interesting to see where names like Ahoghill come from. (Yes, I know vandalism takes place, but we in the unionist community can actively discourage this.)

I would additionally suggest that by bringing up our young without a basic knowledge of Irish pronunciation via learning the origin of our town names, we disadvantage young Protestants, making it more difficult for them to exist in a diverse workplace. Acquiring a skill is always better than choosing not to.

In the coming year I hope we can allow our MLAs the room for some flexibility and some generosity as they grapple with these issues so we can move on to more important issues like fixing our health service.

Arnold Carton, Belfast BT6

Related topics:UnionistsRobin HoodMLAs