Dungarvan Leader 12TH July 1952
Letter
to the Editor
A
Chara, - I read with interest the recent appeals by Bishops, Priests, and
laymen to save the language, music, and culture. The warning note was not sounded too soon and
not without very good reasons.
The
language is far from the spoken tongue and there are good founded fears for its
safety as Gaeltacht areas, the most important strongholds, are dwindling, Irish
music is being put aside and being replaced by foreign nonsense. Enter dance halls pictures-houses and some
concert halls and you will find there alien culture promoted and encouraged. Thousands of foreign papers and magazines are
sold weekly which are injurious to Ireland’s youth. The destruction of Irish
Nationality is fast becoming a reality the ideals the Irishmen laboured
unselfishly to save, and died that Ireland might live are being forgotten. In some places Irish dancing and music are
unknown. Is it any wonder that some of our boys and girls in England have no
respect for their name and race.
Emigration is doing as much harm today as it did in ’47. Rural Ireland
is fast decaying, youth between the ages of 18 and 25 are now very few in some
parts of Ireland. The argument that they
could remain at home serves no purpose as the fact must be faced that they
could not find employment. I have met a
number of them returned on holidays who are prepared to remain here if they
could work at £5 weekly. Much has been
spoken of emigration but little of practical work to provide employment. Ernest, determined, unselfish Irish
nationalists prepared to make sacrifices should undertake the work, step into
the gap of danger as good Irishmen have always done in the past and then it may
not be too late.
LIAM LEDDY