The Irish Central Bank is about to issue a €20 gold proof coin which 'celebrates Irish monastic art'. I have the brochure as I collect these special issue coins. What strikes me about the design which depicts a monk working on a manuscript is that it bears the words 'The Book of Kells' - just a pity really that we have to use English on our coins.

On the subject of English where there should be Irish - I have raised this topic before, but I'd welcome input from anyone new --- the Irish National Anthem was written first in English as 'the Soldier's Song' and the chorus adopted as our anthem. It was subsequently translated into Irish (and there are/were slightly different versions). The Dept of Foreign Affairs have both Irish and English versions on their website. My question which I have asked far and wide without a satisfactory response is: when, if ever, did the Irish version become our National Anthem through legislation. I asked this on http://www.daltaí.com and the best answer anyone had was that it has become our de facto national anthem. This tells me nothing new. I know people sing the Irish version but are they in fact singing something that is not actually our anthem. Are people like my Dad wrong to be offended if some others prefer to sing 'Sinne laochra Fáil' in order to avoid the name of the Fianna Fáil political party?

The Department of Foreign Affairs acknowledged my query and promised to get back to me..but didn't! A parent of one of my students (and politician) mentioned that his family had a connection to the writer Peadar Kearney. Of course, I asked him my question about the Irish version. He seemed very interested (really!) and promised to look into it for me. That was quite a long time ago.....

As far as I know there was no legislation ever to make the Irish version the official national anthem, it became the popular anthem and replaced the english from the 1930s after the GAA started singing the Irish version at all games. It is purely the defacto anthem and has never been defined, thats probably the reason you havent had a response, because there isnt really an answer.

Thanks, Somhairle. In my view, if the Irish version was never officially adopted, then the English version is our anthem. That would be a definite answer! ...and if so, I think something should be done to make the Irish version the official one.

True enough! I was under the impression that no English version was ever officially, as in legislation, adopted either but wikipedia tells me the 'executive council' adopted 'the soldiers song' as the national anthem, it seems as they refered to it as the soldiers song they would have meant the English version, and id assume that because the Irish version wasnt popular until the 30s that it was the english version which was officially adopted.

They should adopt the Irish version as the national anthem though in writing, it is the version everyone knows and if anything stops rugby fans from saying Irelands Call should be Irelands anthem!

What a fine and to the point discussion!
Energetically (by this I mean the things many of us don't see and many of us won't even consider as they are not to be "seen") this is a very important point. Just as defining Gaeilge as FIRST language of Ireland and English as the second (even if reality (in terms of numbers of speakers) at this moment seems clearly to be the other way round).

Those of you/us who bring this point forward may get laughters (for sure), but a national anthem is a serious thing even if people say that they don't care about and do not "see", "feel", "hear" it the same way. Somhairle Óg, I'm with ya! ;-)

It is a hugely important thing, and we must be one of the worst nations in the world for not knowing the words to our own one, which is hugely disrespectful. And at GAA matches when everyone starts shouting and cheering at 'seo libh cainigí amhrán na bhfiann' or even before that...

Thats a tradition now cheering before the end of the song!