DO NOT BAN IRISH ON Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus have instructed their crew to stop using the Irish Language during in-flight announcements on the new Belfast-London Heathrow route.
We want them to realise that in attempting to eliminate Irish, they are offending far more people than they ever could by simply speaking it.
Can you imagine Air France not allowing their crew to speak French? Could you see Lufthansa banning German?
Aer Lingus is an Irish airline, and the name itself comes from the Irish words for air fleet!
Help save Irish on Aer Lingus flights - write your comment and build awareness this is just downright unacceptable
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern tonight criticised Aer Lingus for dropping Irish language messages on its new flights out of Belfast.
The issue was raised in the Dil by Opposition leader and fluent Gaelic speaker Enda Kenny who asked if the Government, that owns 23% of the airline, was consulted on the issue.
Mr Ahern said: “Why Aer Lingus would believe it is necessary to drop Irish, I do not know.
“We were not informed and I do not believe it is any great hardship to anybody. In any of the meetings I have had, I heard nobody objecting to the effect that Irish should be dropped.
The Taoiseach said he agreed with Mr Kenny that Aer Lingus is the national airline and its profile should be based around that.
“I do not believe the few sentences would harm anyone and I do not believe anybody would object to them,” he added.
Mr Ahern said that politicians and officials involved in North-South and East-West political bodies use the Irish language if they are fluent.
“Even those of us who are not are using the cupla focal (couple of words) it is totally accepted by all the parties in the North.
“Some people of the unionist tradition pride themselves, in respect of their Scottish language and Irish, that they are well able to use their cupla focal and I admire them for that.”
The Taoiseach said Stormont’s DUP Culture Minister Edwin Poots made a recent impressive effort to speak Irish at a GAA event.
Earlier Mr Kenny asked if the Government was told about instructions given by Aer Lingus to all pilots and flight personnel that all announcements flying out of Belfast were to be made in English only.
“While Aer Lingus no longer is the national airline in that sense, the Government is a 23% shareholder.
“I fly to Brussels with Aer Lingus occasionally to attend meetings and inevitably short formal announcements are made such as, “Failte romhaibh chuig an mBruiseil” (Welcome to Brussels).
“I find it extraordinary that Aer Lingus, the carrier of the shamrock throughout the world for many years, would issue an instruction to its flight personnel and pilots that all announcements are to be made in English only. Did Aer Lingus consult the Government on this matter?”
Aer Lingus, please regain some common sense and reverse this ridiculous decision!
footprintsdownunder
in Backpacking News
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Reader Comments (6)
How can they say this it is our language our rite how about we ban English on the flights it is just as stupid.
Beidh se uafasach!! Nuair a chuala tu an cailin deas as Air Lingus ag caint as gaeilge, ta se cosuil le ceol i my chluasa :-)
This is terrible. What next, will they make the staff wear pink instead of that lovely green? Why does everyone want to get rid of the Irish language and Irish culture? When you travel you tend to value it so much more. keep up the cupla focail as gaeilge.
Le Gra
Siobhan
UAFASACH UAFASACH UAFASACH!
Can someone explain to me how they came up with this idea? EU recognises Irish as the official language, taught it in school now not aloud to speak it on the national airline. Somehow this just seems like a stupid idea if I ever heard one
http://tinyurl.com/2bj2pw
...ó Máirtín Ó Muilleoir:
Anyhow, no sooner had Edwin solved Norn Iron's Irish speaking problem than New Yorker Daithí Mac Lochlainn has dispatched a letter to Continental urging its chief executive to include Irish greetings on their Newark-Belfast service. Maith an fear.
Scríobhaimis go léir:
Mr. Larry Kellner, CEO
Continental Airlines
1600 Smith Street
Houston, Texas 77002