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Comment by hanoz | Hacker News Reader

It's a question of approach. Ramming it down people's throats is not Championing. Making it compulsory up to the age of 16, to the detriment of other subjects, so that it's almost universally resented in my children's school, for example, is not the way to go about it.

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FYI, Gaeilge is compulsory all the way up to the end of secondary school in Ireland (17/18yo).

It certainly had its naysayers, but learning a second language is shown to improve empathy and cognitive abilities in children.

Certainly there's an argument to learn something more practical, but at least Gaeilge acts as a bulwark to the onslaught of English language media from US/UK that could easily drown out a small open country like Ireland's indigenous material.

> Making it compulsory up to the age of 16, to the detriment of other subjects (...)

Which subject do you believe should have a higher priority than defending the cultural identity of a nation?

Maths, science.

How is it prioritised over these subjects? Surely a student can take math, science and Welsh and still have time for a few more subjects.

Opportunity cost. By having to study it at all, those students lose the opportunity to study something else that might have more value or merit to them personally. In that way, it definitely is a forced priority.

> Maths, science.

But those are already taught as the central subjects, aren't they? They are far from being ignored or neglected.

Again, which subjects should be prioritized offer cultural identity?

The Welsh language isn't part of the cultural identity of most English-speakers in Wales. That's why they find it annoying when their children are forced to learn it. It's like forcing every child in Brittany to learn Breton when most of the population speaks French and has no desire to speak Breton.

> The Welsh language isn't part of the cultural identity of most English-speakers in Wales.

Do you understand what "protecting the culturage identity" means? From your comment, it looks like you didn't manage to connect the dots.

Are you being deliberately obtuse? If you're capable, try expressing an opinion in clear and comprehensible language. The vague waffle and irrelevant rhetorical questions make you look dim-witted.

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