THE Irish language has more than two thousand years of unbroken history behind it. Apart from Greek, it has the oldest literature of any living European language. It is the badge of a civilization whose values were vastly different from the one which has sought to subjugate us. Of course, Irish culture is wider than the Irish language and wider than Gaelic games, music, dance and story-telling. Add to this the myriad traditions of urban and rural Ireland, of ancient and modern customs, of Protestant, Catholic and other religious tendencies, of the influence of the new Irish who have come to our shores from all parts of the globe, and we have some sense of the diversity of our island people. All of this is great cause for celebration and is as thoroughly Irish as any other aspect of our society.
