Speaking Irish – in Ireland? Whatever next?
IWAS both angered and saddended in equal measure this week to learn that a young Gaeilgeoir from the Kerry Gaeltacht felt push out of his job for being ‘forbidden’ to speak Irish in the workplace.
Barman Cormac Ó Bruic received much support during the past few days when he decided to leave his job at The Flying Enterprise bar in Cork rather than adhere to an ‘English-only policy’.
Speaking after the incident where he was informed that complaints had been made by customers about him speaking Irish on the job, and told not to do it again, Mr Ó Bruic said he was surprised with the coverage it received. This is testament to the feelings of a vast number of Irish citizens, whether they speak the language or not. I cannot see how anyone can find it offensive to hear an Irish person speaking Irish - in Ireland.
This smacks of such double standards and in a society which has become so much more diverse and multicultural in recent years, it is so disappointing that our own native tongue is the one that is facing discrimination.
There is so much respect for all the new languages that are spoken in Ireland today, by people who have made their homes here. No employer would dare to instruct a worker of another nationality not to use their native language if serving or working with someone of the same nationality. So why is it that many people feel it is acceptable to belittle and degrade the Irish language simply because it is our native tongue? Banning any person from speaking their first language is unacceptable. If someone gets offended because of a language being used, they are the ones with the problem. As long as they are being served through a language that they understand, then what does it matter if that same server is speaking a different language to a colleague?
Of course, there would be an issue if a customer could not understand the language but I’m sure any bar server worth their salt would be clued in enough to adapt best to each customer’s needs, whether that means speaking in Irish or English. Would they be punished for saying ‘Bonjour’ to a French customer as well? There is such scant regard for Gaeilge and stories like this are the last thing that it needs. I admire Mr Ó Bruic for standing up for himself and for his heritage and I hope that a lesson has been learned.