Stephen Fry on the Irish Language

I've always liked Stephen Fry but this made me like him even more. He's obviously very intelligent and he seems to really appreciate Irish culture. He's a credit to England/Britain.

I'm a native Spanish speaker. A language with an estimate of 543 million speakers around the world, and I still fill that my oportunities would be narrowed dramatically if I don't speak English. At the end not much different than the situation of the Irish speakers. Please don't let your language go down. Each language is a treasure that deserve to be preserved.

For native English speakers, learning Irish language is, to say the least, very challenging because the two are so very different.

It's a shame that Irish is such a beautiful language, but is taught so dreadfully that it makes students, like myself, despise learning it. I've been learning Irish since I was 4 years old. now at the age of 14, I can barely keep up a conversation, let alone an eloquent one.

In classrooms it should be just students sitting around and talking as gaeilge instead of just reading agus ag scriobh

I grew up speaking the language and to be honest I love it. I love the pride of being able to speak it but the subject and the way it is taught is dire and is in drastic need of reform before we lose one of Ireland's best treasures. Tír gan teanga, Tír gan anam!

My god, I could just listen to him talk about anything, absolutely anything for HOURS. He's a wonderful man.

I could listen to Stephen Fry All day long. Such an intelligent, articulate, funny and interesting man.

Translation: "I'm learning our native language at the moment and I love it, the best language in the world to be honest (for me, anyway). Yes, we need English, but what harm is there in being able to speak another language. Beautiful language. A country without a language is a country without a soul. And that's it exactly, there's not enough soul in Ireland these days. Learn Irish and be proud."

There's no shame in recognizing that the language of opportunity is English while you continue to speak your local language. It's not unreasonable to accept that your local language isn't widely spoken and it's pragmatic to expect that there are not a lot of its speakers outside of the locality. Scandinavia, The Netherlands, The Baltic countries, Polynesia (Hawai'i included), all speak another language be it English, Russian, or French to interact with a larger world. It's not a matter of either/or but and. Being bilingual gives you an advantage.

Beautiful language, hope that they preserv it!

I myself am English (from England) and recently moved to a very Welsh-speaking area of Wales. I sincerely wish that we could have had the opportunity to learn one of the other UK-indigenous languages in school, I feel really narrow knowing only English, with no knowledge of the other languages of the UK and Ireland. Needless to say I'm currently trying my very best to learn to be able to speak Welsh! I would do the same if I moved to Ireland, too, with Irish Gaelic. It's a fantastic language. (:

To take a little break from all the language discussion - isn't Stephen Fry just the loveliest man? Seriously, he's such a sweetie.

When a language disappears, the identity and future of a culture are in jeopardy. Never let Irish disappear.

I could listen to Stephen Fry for hours and hours on end and never get bored of him. Wonderful intelligent man, who can make any subject interesting

Well, Stephen Fry's speech about Gaelic is much respectful, realistic, and interesting, than David Mitchell's.

I think more Irish people would like to learn the Irish language if you had a choice about learning it. You have to learn it in Irish schools and most students hate the language because of this.

Mar an seanfhocal, Is gaeilge briste níos fearr ná béarla cliste. Tá gaeilge beo agus níl sé ag fágáil go luath ;)

I love this man!!! Stephen you are a LEGEND!!! :D love from an Irish lass!

I'm Irish and speak Irish, English, Spanish. Irish is my favourite. I live in Catalonia where 3 languages are spoken. The Nordics learn languages for fun, I work with some of them. I think it will continue to survive and thrive. Most European countries are now bi-lingual societies and while English will always be used widespread for the reasons Fry suggests, there will still always be other languages for other reasons. The English are the worst at learning languages because they don't have any other domestic language other than English to learn. I think Ireland will be a widespread bi-lingual society like continental Europe in the future. It's easier than ever before to learn a new language - self paced, online.