I've just found this discussion about Irish on You Tube which I find interesting, perhaps you might have an opinion on it.
Irish Language - Discussion on the Late Late Show (Part 1) & (Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbb8EoSVVyU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwF-9SJC ... re=related (I hope the link works)

Chonaic mé iad nuair a bhi siad ar an teilifís - an suimiúil. Chuaigh mé chuig seó Des Bishop agus bhí sé ar fheabhas.

I saw them when they were on television - very interesting. I went to Des Bishop's show and he was great.

Nasc maith, a Fhranc.

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The two native speakers mentioned the difference between their own dialects of Irish and the one that their children pick up at school (school Irish, would you call it?) - not to mention that at one time they were ashamed of speaking their kind of Irish outside of their own communities. They still seem to be a little uneasy with what they are hearing now. Even Des Bishop is finding himself having to deal with situations in spoken Irish that's not quite what he's learning. But I think the way they envisage the future and how the language ought to be considered very inspiring. Immersion is all, would you say?

I think Des was spot on when he said reviving the language shouldn't be left to the Department of Education alone. The only things I remember from my school days are the things that I was using outside of school.

Take maths for example. I have no problems with arithmetic, decimals, fractions, percentages etc. because I use those skills on a daily basis. But ask me to solve an algebra or trigonometry problem and I'd be lost. I've forgotten all that stuff because I never use it.

If people are going to become fluent, they have to take it outside the classroom and start using it at home, at work, in social situations etc.

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Des comes out with stupid things at times like on his show he said he was embarrased because all the 5 year olds in the school in Conamara are more fluent than him obviously its their native language.

Lots of people seem to react like that when they hear a child speak in a language in which they are not fluent themselves!

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an suimiúil - it was interesting to hear how people were ashamed of speaking it. I used to get embarrassed using it in public, and I think most people are particularly if they are not fluent they are scared of the 'red pen'. Have to say, I speak Irish in pubic a lot of the time now and I realise the problem was 100% with me, not people judging

Also Bláthnaid mentions how her childrens Irish is different, which goes back to another thread we were discussing

I didn't catch the name of the other gentleman who is a native speaker - could somebody tell me who he is, please?

cillian fennell, not really sure what he does though